RAH patient kicked cop
A troubled patient kicked and lashed out at police in a hospital ward after he was warned about his abusive behaviour.
Graham Watret, 37, lost the plot at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, in Paisley, after he had been told to curb his antisocial outbursts.
Paisley Sheriff Court heard Watret was a patient receiving treatment at the hospital on March 6, last year, when he turned violent towards officers.
Procurator fiscal depute Raisa Ahmed said: “At around 1.30am on the date of the incident, police witnesses were at the hospital.
“The accused was heavily intoxicated and his behaviour was erratic.
“He was lying on a hospital bed shouting ‘Wait! Wait! Wait!’
“The accused was spoken to by police officers in relation to his behaviour, however he continued shouting.
“He was shouting ‘Paedos! You are f****** paedos!’ and ‘I will f****** do you in’.”
The prosecutor explained that officers attempted to arrest him,adding: “At this point, he kicked a police witness on the right leg.
“They attempted to handcuff him, but he resisted arrest by tensing his arms and lashing out at police.”
The court heard he was taken into custody and taken to the police station.
Watret, of Paisley, appeared for sentencing after pleading guilty to a charge of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner by shouting, swearing, uttering threats of violence and struggling violently with police, while challenging them to fight.
Defence agent Tony Callahan described his client as a vulnerable man who receives assistance to live in the community.
He said: “Mr Watret is a man who is subject to adult protection services from the local authority.
“He suffers from mental health difficulties and I would ask the court considers allowing him to continue making progress with those working with him.
“He has not reoffended since that incident and, given the absence of reoffending, I would ask he be allowed to continue working with the social work department.”
Watret previously sexually assaulted a paramedic, throttled a police officer and bit another cop during a series of incidents in Hamilton.
He grabbed a male paramedic repeatedly by the buttocks and attempted to kiss him in an ambulance on August 8, 2019.
He also attacked PC Lauren Bryce on a landing in Hamilton, on June 30, 2019.
Watret grabbed her and, during a struggle, he compressed her neck, restricting her breathing.
He also bit PC Kris Armstrong on the face and body and punched him repeatedly on the head and body on June 29, 2019.
Sheriff Lindsey Kooner told him that, despite his own personal difficulties, public service workers, such as police and hospital staff, must be allowed to go about their duties.
She said: “People working in hospitals and police officers should not have to deal with conduct of this nature.”
However, she said she was prepared to hand him a warning, given that he had stayed out of trouble for more than year.
She added: “I will admonish you given the circumstances, but nothing like this should ever happen again.”