Infection fear in A& E blood spill

A man allowed his blood to drip on to seats and the floor in an Ayr Hospital waiting area.

And Thomas Blaikie shouted out: “I’ve got hep C!”.

This caused concern among other patients, depute fiscal Laurin Campbell told Ayr Sheriff Court.

The court heard that Blaikie self- harms and removed bandages on his arm to cause the bleeding.

The hospital offence was one of three Blaikie, 37, admitted. All took place on June 28.

He pleaded guilty to threatening behaviour against his partner, after a row about money.

And he admitted trying to rip his partner’s necklace off as they walked along Murray Street in Ayr’s Lochside area.

Blaikie’s partner dialled 999 and he was placed in the caged cell of a police van.

It was then he began to remove his bandages and self- harm before being taken to A & E.

Defence lawyer John Gallagher claimed that Blaikie was not trying to infect anyone during the hospital incident.

“That’s not what he’s charged with,” he insisted.

He said his client had issues with alcohol and mental health.

Bl a i k i e, of Rus s e l l Drive, Ayr, had attended an appointment with a community psychiatric nurse prior to the Murray Street incident.

Mr Gallagher said Blaikie’s partner wants their relationship to continue: “She didn’t want him in custody. She just wanted a bit of breathing space.”

Sheriff Montgomery jailed Blaikie for eight months, backdated to July 1 when he was first held in custody.