A drunk man assaulted his partner as they rowed in a hospital’s busy A&E department.
Steven Lynn made threats to his on/off partner Sarah Fennell and spat at her as she attended Dewsbury and District Hospital to get her ankle cast reapplied.
Kirklees magistrates heard that the pair’s volatile relationship had resulted in 21 police call outs in just six years.
The 30-year-old pleaded guilty to the assault, which happened at the hospital last Friday (June 2).
Alex Bozman, prosecuting, said: “Mr Lynn was in the A&E department with his partner and both were in drink.
“He was making threats towards her and further people at the hospital saw him being verbally abusive towards her, spitting at her and also jabbing her in the ribs.”
Magistrates were told that the couple had alcohol difficulties and Lynn’s solicitor Paul Blanchard described them as : “Very pleasant in sobriety, while intoxicated they’re both very different characters.”
He added that during the day the pair had both been drinking and then Miss Fennell “foolishly” removed her ankle cast which then needed to be put back on at the hospital.
Mr Blanchard said: “Mr Lynn decided to take her to the hospital and they were both going on at each other.
“He concedes that during the argument he has spat and prodded at her and this was wholly inappropriate behaviour that should not be tolerated in an A&E department.”
Magistrates adjourned sentencing until June 13 so that Lynn, of Hayburn Road in Batley, can be assessed by probation staff.
