Drunk fined for breaching order
Community work order is cancelled
A drunken man was given priority treatment over children when he arrived by ambulance at Perth Royal Infirmary and demanded “immediate medical attention.”
But when Benjamin Wright was assessed in the hospital’s busy A&E department, he “began laughing uncontrollably” - and said he had managed to “fool” the police, paramedics and also the nurse.
He was subsequently ordered to complete 270 hours of unpaid work, and also put under supervision for 18 months, earlier this year.
But Perth Sheriff Court was told the order had been breached after he failed to engage with Tayside Council on Alcohol.
His community payback order was revoked at his latest court hearing and a £600 fine imposed in respect of the outstanding 68 hours of unpaid work
In addition, Wright, of Inchewan, Birnam, had an 18-week ‘tagging’ order imposed after he racially abused a police officer in a separate incident.
He will be restricted to his home from 7pm-6am, seven days a week.
Sheriff William Wood told him he had considered jailing him in respect of both incidents but was told the accused was now working as a labourer.
The community payback and supervision orders were imposed earlier this year after Wright was arrested for punching the window of a taxi in Perth’s Woodside Crescent on March 14, 2017.
He also pled guilty to pretending to paramedic Adam Longhorn at Perth Police HQ the following day that he required immediate medical attention, depriving others of the ambulanceman’s services.
A similar charge of pretending to PRI staff nurse Katrina Duncan that he was ill, preventing her from assessing others who were awaiting treatment, was admitted.
Depute fiscal Nicola Gillespie said Wright had fallen asleep in the taxi.
When he was wakened up and asked for the fare, he got out of the cab and shouted: “What are you going to do about it?”
He then punched the cab window and was taken to police headquarters.
Early the following morning, Wright, previously of Viewfield Place, Perth, was taken to PRI after he “slumped unconscious” in the back of a police van.
He was “unresponsive” and paramedics thought he might have suffered an asthma attack.
They were concerned about his “bizarre behaviour” and he was taken to A&E for further examination.
Because of the potential seriousness of his condition, he “jumped the queue.”
Ms Gillespie said the cost of the ambulance call-out was estimated at £250 but that didn’t include the work carried out by the staff nurse.
The department was busy that morning and three children were waiting to be checked over.
But when he was examined by staff nurse Duncan, it emerged he wasn’t ill at all.
In a separate incident at Perth Police HQ on August 15 this year, Wright admitted calling PC Rory Miller a racist name after he had been arrested for being drunk and aggressive in the Capital Asset pub in Perth’s Tay Street.
Solicitor Billy Somerville said the accused had now found work as a labourer in Perth and didn’t go out drinking as he had previously.
But he added: “He’s got to address his issues with regard to alcohol.”
The 18-week restriction of liberty order was imposed on the racial comments charge.
Sheriff William Wood told him: “I hope you address your alcohol difficulties otherwise the future is bleak.”