A ROWDY Carlisle hospital patient assaulted a nurse after telling staff members: “I’m the best fighting man on this planet.”

Elijah Ali, 32, caused a disturbance when he attended the Cumberland Infirmary’s accident and emergency department on April 15.

Ali was seeking treatment for his alcoholism, the city’s magistrates’ court was told.

“He was described as being highly intoxicated,” said prosecutor George Shelley.

On being asked to wait for a doctor, Ali, of Warwick Road, Carlisle, became 'volatile'.

“I’ll knock every one of you out,” stated Ali. “I’m the best fighting man on this planet.”

Ali then grabbed a staff nurse by the wrist, causing a cut to her hand. He was taken outside the building by security staff and arrested for assaulting an emergency worker — a charge he later admitted in court.

Ali was sentenced for that matter today (Thursday) when he also pleaded guilty to illegal knife possession in public, at Atkinson Crescent in Carlisle, and non-violent harassment of his former partner.

That had occurred on June 23 when the woman made a 999 call to police reporting that ex-partner Ali had turned up at her address. “She was alerted by her son who told her Mr Ali was trying to get through a side gate at the address,” said Mr Shelley.

“He was asking for money he was owed. She would not give him money. Mr Ali was banging on the windows and doors of the address in a threatening manner.”

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When police attended, they discovered a Stanley-knife type blade which Ali had discarded in a nearby bush. He later claimed he had the implement for tiling work.

When interviewed about the hospital assault, he stated he hadn’t meant to hurt the nurse. “He was intoxicated and said he grabbed her wrist out of fear,” said the prosecutor. “He stated he was reckless and apologised for his actions.”

Jeff Smith, defending, said Ali had spent six weeks in custody on remand and been abstinent from alcohol.

“Unless he tackles his alcohol consumption, his future is going to be interspersed with regular visits to Durham Prison which will be no good to him and no good to the community,” said Mr Smith in an address to District Judge John Temperley.

“He invites you to enable him to return to the community and make a contribution.”

But in view of two previous knife possession crimes, and previous offending against his former partner, the district judge jailed him for a total of 30 weeks.

Ali, appearing remotely over a video link from custody, uttered an audible expletive as he left the booth.

Ali was given a five-year restraining order which bans him contacting his ex, and from entering Atkinson Crescent.

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