Man who attacked West Sussex ambulance worker spared jail
He became violent while his girlfriend received hospital treatment
A man who assaulted an emergency worker at a hospital in West Sussex has been spared jail.
40-year-old Spencer Wellington became violent and abusive towards a member of the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath.
He punched the worker in the face during the incident, at around 6.30pm on February 28th.
Hove Crown Court was told the incident happened after Wellington became frustrated at how long it was taking for his girlfriend to receive treatment.
Appearing in court on Tuesday (December 8th), Wellington, of Amulet Close in Thetford, Norfolk, was given a four-month prison sentence, suspended for two years with conditions.
He was also ordered to do 300 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation sessions.
Sentencing Wellington, judge Christine Laing QC said:
"This year, NHS emergency workers have suffered a great deal.
They have to put themselves in danger every day, not only from the pandemic but from idiots like you. I don't care if you were tired from work, we all are!
"The assault was determined, deliberate and you had to be restrained during the incident.
"The security guard was using all his strength to stop you.
"Thankfully, because of that, the injury you caused him was not particularly serious, but what he had to suffer from you simply for doing his job is inexcusable."
In a tweet, South East Coast Ambulance Service said it would not tolerate abuse of its staff, either physical or verbal.