A man who drank two bottles of whisky before carrying out a racially-aggravated assault on a security guard at Weston General Hospital has been jailed.
Kevin Stearns, aged 55, appeared at North Somerset Courthouse on Friday and pleaded guilty to the offence. Stearns, of Canberra Road in Weston-super-Mare, drank two half bottles of whisky before heading to the hospital’s accident and emergency department at 10.30pm on August 2.
Prosecuting Ian Jackson said a nurse asked security guard Ronald Mugambabye to keep an eye on Stearns, as he was talking in an ‘aggressive manner’.
He added: “Families and elderly patients were waiting to be seen.
“The victim saw the defendant lying on the floor and as he approached him he began receiving verbal abuse.”
Mr Jackson told the court Stearns swore and shouted a barrage of racial abuse at Mr Mugambabye, saying he ‘only deals with white people’.
Mr Mugambabye left a colleague to watch Stearns but was quickly called back to assist.
Mr Jackson said: “The victim told the defendant he couldn’t lie on the floor which made the defendant louder and more abusive and it was at that stage he began kicking and punching out.
“Both security guards took hold of the defendant to stop him.
“It was during that part of the incident the victim was kicked three times in the shin.”
Mitigating, Sue Cameron, told the court Stearns ‘does not consider himself to be a racist’.
She said Stearns had received some bad news earlier in the day prompting him to drink.
Ms Cameron said: “He can’t remember using that very upsetting language.
“He fully accepts there were other people present and that is not a way to behave.”
She said Stearns wants to apologise to Mr Mugambabye, and added: “He wants the security guard to know he is remorseful.”
Stearns was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison and ordered to pay £85 court costs, £100 compensation and a £115 victim surcharge.
The hospital’s director of strategic development, Bronwen Bishop, said no-one should feel threatened or intimidated while at the hospital, and added: “Let me be clear that any incident of violence, aggression or harm by anyone towards staff, patients and visitors on our premises will not be tolerated.”
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