AN inpatient at an acute mental health unit at Furness General Hospital punched a nurse to the face causing him to suffer a black eye, a court heard.  

Michael Gardner, 50, assaulted a male nurse whilst he was on shift at the Dane Garth unit on May 21 last year, prosecutor Lee Dacre said.

South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court heard the incident occurred when the defendant asked the complainant if he could go outside for a cigarette.

Mr Dacre said: “The complainant had agreed to take the defendant and others outside for a smoke.

"He was talking to the defendant about his rehabilitation and getting him back to a standard of living in the community when the defendant punched him in the face.

“The punch caused redness and bruising to the victim's eye."

The court heard the nurse suffered headaches for the next couple of days as a result of the attack.

In his victim impact statement, the victim said he could no longer continue to work on that particular ward due to the defendant’s actions.  

Gardner, of Hart Street, Ulverston, pleaded guilty to assault by beating of an emergency worker on the basis that he slapped the complainant.

The prosecution did not accept this but took no issue as it would make ‘no material difference’ to the sentence.

In mitigation, Karen Templeton said the offence was ‘very much out of character’ for her client.

Ms Templeton continued: “He has not been in court for over 20 years.

“He was upset about the nurse saying that he needed rehabilitation.

"The nurse was talking about living in the community but he seems to think he was talking about his rehab and he has taken offence and slapped him. He is sorry for what has happened.

“He clearly has mental health difficulties but understands what he did was wrong. He should just have ignored what the nurse has said.”

On October 9, magistrates fined Gardner £180 for the offence, which the court was told would be deducted from the defendant’s Employment and Support Allowance benefit.

Chair of the bench Charles Crewdson said: “In the future, you need to step back and not react in the same way. No emergency worker should come to work and expect to be assaulted.

“We do not expect to see you again.”

Gardner was also ordered to pay £150 compensation to the victim.