A 43-year-old man from Ryde who was punched unconscious after he made inappropriate comments to a young mum later went on to cause a disturbance and damage at St Mary’s Hospital, a court has heard.
Maurice Reginald Hammond, 43, of Arthur Street in Ryde, appeared before the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court yesterday (Monday) charged with 5 offences including common assault, using threatening/abusive/insulting words or behaviour to cause harassment/alarm/distress, criminal damage, causing a nuisance/disturbance on NHS premises and using threatening/abusive/insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause fear of violence.
The court heard how Hammond began talking to a lady who was feeding her baby outside Tower House doctors surgery in Ryde on Friday (16th July). He made the woman feel uncomfortable with the conversation becoming personal and creepy with comments such as “you need a man like me in your life”.
The woman’s partner, who was in the pharmacy at the time, returned to find Maurice continuing to pester the woman. The boyfriend stepped in and Hammond threw a punch, resulting in the second male punching the defendant to the floor, rendering him unconscious.
Emergency services rushed to the scene including the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service, as previously reported by Island Echo.
Maurice Hammond was taken to St Mary’s Hospital having hit his head on the kerb but it’s at St Mary’s that the offending continued. He created a shocking disturbance amongst sick and vulnerable patients, becoming abusive to everyone around him before causing criminal damage.
Defending, Hammond’s solicitor explained to the court that he had been assaulted the day before the incident and may have been suffering concussion when the incident at Tower House occurred.
The 43-year-old pleaded guilty to all charges against him at the earliest opportunity and showed remorse for his actions – just 2 months after appearing at the Magistrates Court for biting a Post Office worker.
Magistrates handed down a 16-week prison sentence – suspended for 12 months – and ordered him to pay compensation for the criminal damage.
Time after time we read about the Great work our Police do to keep us all safe only to
read Time after Time the Courts hand out sentences that do not match the crime .
This man was sentenced in May for attacking the owner of the High St Post Office last July
And yet again he gets a slapped wrist and the residents of the Island and our Police get a Slap in the Face ..Cheers Then !!
Suspended sentance again…obviously a pillar of the community just after biting a post office workers ear and then this…been beaten up etc…says it all really and showed remorse..great…in defence may have had concussion. ?? Must remember that..sounds like he needs intensive rehabilitation but probably not available…
Shame we have to share our community with such low life scum. Well done to the lad who knocked him out. Loved reading that bit. Good on you lad.
Have him move in with the idiot magistrates who have allowed him to remain free, just a matter of time before he does something else.