Suspended sentence for woman who assaulted doctor and nurse
A woman who assaulted a doctor and a nurse in Altnagelvin Hospital has been given a suspended sentence at Derry Magistrates’ Court today.
Elaine Mary McCloskey (49) of Church Street in Limavady admitted two charges of assault on May 22 this year.
The court heard that while attending the hospital as a patient McCloskey punched a doctor on the back she then pushed the nurse causing him to fall over.
Defence solicitor Jack Quigley told the court his client accepted responsibility immediately and had shown 'genuine contrition and had apologised.'
He said that the defendant herself had been the victim of serious domestic violence. The solicitor said that McCloskey had offered personal apologies to the two injured parties and added this behaviour was 'out of character'.
District Judge Suzanne Rice told McCloskey that she had presented at the hospital as a patient but had 'moved very quickly from being a patient to being an aggressor'. She said the courts 'take a very dim view of assaults on health care professionals'.
McCloskey was sentenced to three months in prison suspended for 18 months and ordered to pay his two victims £150 each in compensation.