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Disorderly patient threatened to shoot paramedic

A 30-YEAR-OLD man who spat at a paramedic and threatened to shoot him in the head as he was being brought to hospital has received a suspended jail term and ordered to pay £200 compensation.

James Woods, of Castle Hill Park, Ballygawley, was charged with assaulting an ambulance worker and using disorderly behaviour in the grounds of Craigavon Area Hospital on March 15, 2021.

Woods had entered guilty pleas at an appearance before Dungannon Magistrates Court in November last year, but sentencing was deferred to allow him to cooperate with the Probation Service and stay out of any further trouble.

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At his sentencing hearing on Friday, the court heard that, at 7pm, police received a request for assistance from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS). One of their crews was struggling to deal with a patient on the A4 dual carriageway.

The patient was trying to run on to the eastbound lane of the carriageway, the court heard.

Upon arrival at the scene, officers observed the patient wrestling with paramedics. He was subsequently handcuffed and taken to Craigavon hospital via ambulance.

On the way there, the defendant continued to lash out at both the paramedic and police officer present in the back of the vehicle. He spat at the paramedic and told him he would be shot in the head.

Meanwhile, he also threatened to shoot the police officer, adding that he “wouldn’t stand a chance against people he knows”. Upon arrival at the hospital, Woods ran around the car park shouting, “Come out you Black and Tans!” He also claimed to be in the UVF and UFF.

Before eventually being brought under control, the defendant also shouted at staff and other patients at the hospital.

Defending solicitor, Garrett Greene, told the court that, following the incident, his client had been detained under mental health legislation “for some time” and was continuing to receive medical treatment.

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The solicitor said there had been no further offending by the defendant, who was accompanied in court by his mother.

Deputy district judge, Sean O’Hare, observed that an “appalling account” had been given to the court. He added that it was the second time the defendant’s mother had heard the facts in the case.

The judge said that, when he had dealt with the defendant last November, he had asked him to stay out of difficulty with the police and cooperate with Probation in the preparation of a “positive” pre-sentence report.

Having done so, Mr O’Hare imposed jail terms totalling six months, which he then suspended for 18 months. He also ordered Woods to pay £200 compensation to the ambulance worker.

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