A man who thrust his elbow into a doctor attempting to treat him in a Belfast hospital has been jailed for four months.
Christopher O’Reilly also squared up to a PSNI officer, claiming to be an MMA fighter ready to leave him “in a pile on the floor”.
The 33-year-old, of Bonds Hill in Derry, pleaded guilty to drug-fuelled assaults on police, common assault, disorderly behaviour and resisting arrest.
Belfast Magistrates Court heard he targeted two doctors during a violent outburst at the Royal Victoria Hospital on December 20 last year.
One of the medics said O’Reilly had thrown himself to the floor in the Emergency Department and then struggled aggressively as he attempted to lift him up.
“He subsequently struck him and another doctor to their stomachs with his elbows,” a Crown lawyer said.
Only one of the medical staff made a statement of complaint against the defendant.
Police arrested O’Reilly at the hospital, but he threw himself back onto the floor to prevent officers escorting him from the scene.
Officers eventually wheeled him to their car in a chair as he continued screaming and shouting, the court heard.
At one stage O’Reilly lunged forward with his head in an attempt to strike the arresting constable.
He also squared up to the policeman after being brought to a holding cell at Musgrave Station.
O’Reilly balled his fists up and declared: “It’s only you and me locked in this room.”
The prosecutor disclosed: “He moved forward towards the officer, stating that he had done MMA for a number of years and would leave him in a pile on the floor.”
Defence counsel Michael Boyd described O’Reilly as “deeply sorry and ashamed” for his drug-fuelled behaviour in the hospital.
“When he was being treated he reacted in a way that was clearly over the top, thinking the doctor had a needle,” the barrister said.
“There is no excuse whatsoever for his behaviour, particularly towards medical professionals and police who are just doing their job in that setting.”
Accepting that his client faced imprisonment, Mr Boyd added: “In sobriety he is a completely different person from the chaotic person while under the influence.”
District Judge Amanda Henderson imposed a four-month sentence based on the admissions made.
She told O’Reilly: “We are all hearing in the news about attacks on medical staff in hospitals. They are public servants there to help people like yourself.
“Once they are assaulted the courts will look at immediate custody, and that’s what is going to happen in this case.”