A PATIENT at a Carlisle hospital became aggressive with medical staff after they twice resuscitated him following an apparent drug overdose.

But a defence lawyer representing 39-year-old Steven Queen said that his bad behaviour resulted from the effects of grief - triggered by the anniversary of his mother’s death - and his drink being 'spiked'.

The defendant, of Atkinson Crescent, Harraby, Carlisle, pleaded guilty to three offences: assaulting an emergency worker – a police officer; causing a disturbance or nuisance on NHS premises; and shoplifting. 

Pam Ward, prosecuting at the city’s Rickergate court, described how after the defendant was given life-saving treatment at Carlisle’s Cumberland Infirmary on May 27 staff found him in a doctor’s office.

He was holding a ball-point pen to his own neck.

When staff from the department tried to engage him in a conversation, he responded by throwing a canular and then a roll of bandages at them, though both items missed and instead hit a wall.

Queen was taken to a resuscitation room, where he first threw a mattress across the floor and then shouted at medical staff.

While he was being restrained by police officers, he kicked out, narrowly missing the leg of an officer, who managed to quickly dodge the blow.

The defendant’s theft offence, the court heard, happened on March 10 at the Aldi store on Petteril Bank Road, Carlisle, when gardening goods worth £81 were taken without payment.

John Smith, defending, said the defendant committed the offences at the hospital on the anniversary of his mother’s death – an event that clearly mattered to him, given that he had mentioned it to a police officer on the night.

“Because it was the anniversary of his mother’s death, he had gone out drinking with friends,” said Mr Smith. “He believes that his drink was spiked with Xanax, and though he doesn’t know that is actually happened, he believes that is what happened.

“I discussed with him the possibility of entering a not guilty plea because  this was not self-induced, but he accepts responsibility for what happened if somebody spiked his drink and he's not kept an eye on it.”

Mr Smith said that medical staff revived the defendant twice.

“His heart stopped beating twice,” continued the lawyer. “It’s recently been well known that that there has been a bad batch of Xanax tablets about. I suspect it’s not real Xanax and that this was one of them.

“He'd gone out to have a drink because of his mother’s death and he was hoping to have a pleasant evening.

“He came to in hospital and when the police were called he behaved in a disorderly manner.”

The T-shirt that medical staff had cut off the defendant's torso in order to revive him had been one that Queen’s mother had bought him, said Mr Smith.

“That was obviously in his mind,” said the lawyer, stressing that the attempted kick did not connect with any person.

Mr Smith said the shoplifting offence, which was unconnected to events at the hospital, consisted of Queen passing plants to another person who was stealing them from the shop.

Presiding magistrate Paul Baird told the defendant his mother, had she still been alive, would not have been pleased at his behaviour.

Mr Baird said he and his colleagues noted the drink spiking claim, saying that over many years of serving as a magistrate he had never seen a case where even a heavy drinking session led to somebody’s heart stopping twice.

Magistrates had therefore characterised the defendant’s behaviour at the hospital as “reckless”.

They fined the defendant £140 for the assault offence, and £40 for the theft. There was no separate penalty for causing a nuisance at the hospital. Queen must pay £85 cost and a £34 victim surcharge.

Health chiefs last month issued an urgent warning about illicit drugs which are thought to be behind a durge in deaths across Cumbria.

“We don’t want to see you here again,” added Mr Baird.

As he left the dock, the defendant said: “I’m sorry for wasting your time. Thank you very much.”