Man, 24, hit A&E nurse with fire device

A MAN who attacked a nurse with a fire extinguisher on a busy hospital ward is facing jail.

Scott Llewellyn, 24, ran amok at the accident and emergency unit at Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, leaving staff and patients terrified.

Llewellyn became upset after being told he could go home from the hospital following an assessment from a nurse.

He began shouting and swearing and attempted to headbutt a staff member before picking up a fire extinguisher from the wall.

He used it to smash the windows of the reception area. Staff inside had to duck for cover to avoid being hit with glass fragments.

Llewellyn then accessed the hospital’s tannoy system and began hurling insults. He hit a female nurse with the fire extinguisher after she attempted to calm him down.

Llewellyn, of East Kilbride, appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court where he admitted charges of assault, culpable and reckless conduct and acting in a threatening or abusive manner on March 21 last year.

Andy Thompson, defending, said: “Drugs and alcohol were taken on this occasion and he had not taken his medication.

“He had made a call to an NHS phoneline and said he was in distress and wanted to be hospitalised. Police officers took him to Hairmyres Hospital and he was calm during the initial examination but then reacted.”

Sheriff Marie Smart deferred sentence for background reports.