Drunk Padiham man urinated in ambulance after collapse in Whalley street

Blackburn magistrates heard John David Butcher made vulgar comments and shouted obscenities towards the female paramedics who had gone to his aid. And he continued to behave in an abusive manner when he arrived at Royal Blackburn Hospital where he locked himself in a toilet.

Butcher, of Hargrove Avenue, Padiham, admitted causing a nuisance on NHS premises and damaging the inside of an ambulance. He was fined £800, ordered to pay £100 towards deep cleaning the ambulance, £50 compensation to the paramedic and £100 costs.

Mrs Claire Grant (prosecuting) said the incident started in King Street, Whalley, when staff in a takeaway reported a man unconscious in the street. The two female paramedics crewing the ambulance that attended examined Butcher and found a small cut on his head and decided he should be checked over at hospital.

“He agreed to go in the ambulance but continued to be obstructive,” said Mrs Grant. “When they arrived at hospital they discovered he had urinated in the ambulance and had no explanation for why he had not asked them to stop.”

At A&E he refused treatment and locked himself in the lavatory after abusing staff.

Interviewed by police, he said he had drunk “an awful lot of lager” and his memory was blank. He didn’t remember how he got the injury to his head or any of his behaviour in the ambulance or hospital.

Mr Ian Huggan (defending) said it had caused Butcher a great deal of embarrassment and shame to be told of his behaviour. He said his client’s father had died two months earlier and the incident occurred the day before Father’s Day.

“He went out to get drunk and lost control of himself,” said Mr Huggan. “He asks you to take into account the remorse he feels.”