Rampage earns teen detention

A teenager who went on a drugfuelled rampage through Middlemore Hospital, pepper spraying a police officer and nurse, was sentenced to seven months home detention.

But the man, who was 17 at the time, had his sentence reduced to two months for good behaviour. New details have emerged about the incident last year — which sparked a police review — in court documents obtained by the Herald on Sunday.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been arrested on an active warrant on the day of the incident, May 10, and was taken to hospital under police guard after admitting to police that he had smoked methamphetamine and huffed petrol that morning.

“It was clear that he was under the influence and affected by substance abuse,” the police summary of facts states.

He was heavily sedated for most of the evening but woke up about 7.50pm and pulled out the tubes and sensors attached to his body.

He became “increasingly agitated” and then tried to leave the room where he was being held. A police officer who was holding him told him to stop and physically blocked him from leaving.

After a second escape attempt a physical struggle broke out. The teenager pulled himself to his feet and snatched a can of capsicum spray from the officer’s belt. He sprayed the police officer on the back of his head and left side of his neck.

A charge nurse who came to the police officer’s aid was also sprayed in the face. Hospital staff had to tackle the teen as he was fleeing and pin him on the ground to prevent him from escaping until he could be taken back into custody, according to the summary of facts.

Both injured men were left with a “severe burning sensation” on their heads and faces and the police officer also had scratches on the his left cheek, below his ear.

At the review hearing in April 21 the judge handed down a new sentence of intensive supervision, community detention and judicial monitoring for 22 months after positive probation reports.