Cocktail of drugs and alcohol led to Truro hospital assaults (From Falmouth Packet)

Cocktail of drugs and alcohol led to Truro hospital assaults

4:15pm Monday 2nd July 2012 in Truro By Greg Fountain, Reporter/Photographer

Lashing out at hospital staff and police officers while high on a cocktail of drugs and alcohol landed a St Ives man in court last week.

Dudley Peter Rickard, aged 21, of St Ives Road, pleaded guilty on Thursday at Truro Magistrates' Court to six counts of assault - four against staff at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Treliske and two against police constables.

He was brought to hospital on May 16 after an ambulance crew found him passed out on a set of stairs in St Ives.

Ronald Butler, prosecuting, said Rickard was using a “cocktail of drugs and alcohol” in response to the death of his newborn baby a couple of days before.

While laid on a hospital trolley “he became increasingly agitated, particularly because his girlfriend came in and this seemed to wind him up,” Mr Butler said.

Hospital staff attempted to restrain him, but Rickard became increasingly violent, kicking out and spitting at them before the police arrived to take him into custody.

“He was screaming at the officers 'I will remember your face, I hope you die of acid burns' and remarks of that sort,” Mr Butler said.

Dieter Kehler, for the defence, said: “I would agree that there is a slightly unusual flavour to this particular matter.

“The bottom line is that there was the loss of the child that really did cause Mr Rickard a great deal of upset.

“On this particular day, because his girlfriend does not like him using alcohol, he had gone out - not to do himself any harm - but to forget what had happened in the days before.

“As a result of this he took a combination of the drugs and the alcohol. This is not somebody who went into A&E in a highly charged state looking for trouble.

“When the police arrived he was actually in leg restraints. They were trying to tie him down on to the trolley and he was lashing out and trying to stop them.

“He didn't know what he was doing,” Mr Kehler added.

Rickard received a 12 month community order with a 36 hour requirement to attend the Senior Attendance Centre in Truro.

Each victim was awarded £25 in compensation, making £150 compensation to pay in total.