Drunk patient tells nurse ‘these fists are made for fighting’

A patient at Leicester Royal Infirmary who was told he could not go for a cigarette clenched his fists and threatened a nurse, telling her: “These fists are made for fighting”. Alcoholic Mark Poole, 42, went on to racially abuse various hospital staff.

In separate incidents, he racially abused a security guard at Aldi in Woodgate, Leicester, and caused disruption after collapsing while drunk in McDonald’s in Market Street, Leicester city centre. He appeared at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday to be sentenced for a total of eight offences.

The previous incident was at Aldi, where he regularly stood outside the supermarket, drunk. On one occasion last May, the store manager called Leicestershire police to report that Poole had been racist to his security guard, telling him to “go back to your own country”.

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A special constable arrived and attempted to arrest Poole, who resisted, deliberately pulling the handcuffs down, injuring the officer’s hand. Poole continued to make various racist comments and threatened to punch the police officer before spitting at him, hitting him on the arm with saliva.

Then he said: “I know people who will get rid of you. I’m going to headbutt you. Do you think you’re hardcore?”

After being charged with the offenses outside Aldi, he failed to appear in court and was convicted in his absence of obstructing a police officer, two counts of threatening behavior and one count of racially aggravated threats.

The next incident took place at the McDonald’s restaurant last November. A female staff member saw Poole fall in the middle of the restaurant and went to help her, but she swore at her and went to lie down near the restaurant entrance.

Leicestershire Police arrived and he was unresponsive for some time before verbally abusing staff and police officers. For this, he was found guilty of being drunk and disorderly at a trial held in his absence.

The last events at the hospital took place on Saturday, December 30 last year. After threatening the nurse who wouldn’t let him smoke, he continued to be aggressive with others in the hospital, frightening the patients. Prosecutor Adeel Zafar told magistrates: “He was so loud and aggressive that one of the other patients took himself out because he was too upset.”

Two other hospital staff, a man and a woman, were racially abused by Poole, the man was told to return to his own country. For the incidents at the hospital, Poole pleaded guilty to one count of using threatening behavior and two counts of racially aggravated threatening behavior.

The court heard he already had 56 offenses on his record. Abrar Sayed, representing Poole, said his client was classed as a “vulnerable adult” and lived in a care home and had a support worker with him in court. He said: “He has a long-term problem with alcohol but has turned the page.

“In February of this year he suffered burns. He now meets daily with Cocaine Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. He is not at all able to fully recall the incidents. He is deeply sorry and deeply embarrassed by these actions.”

The bank’s chairman, Gareth Roberts, told Poole, of Sangha Close, Gorse Hill, Leicester: “You are not going to jail today but these matters go beyond the custody threshold. These are very serious matters”.

Poole was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, and was also ordered to pay £50 costs each to the injured special constable and the three hospital staff. Mr Roberts told him: “You are very lucky to be free to go.”

He said the sentences were increased because of racial abuse and said Poole needed to work on his tendency to become racist. Poole replied: “I’m very, very sorry about that.”