A MAN who caused a disturbance at Borders General Hospital has been placed on a night-time home curfew for the next four months.

Forty-nine-year-old Colin McLean, of Kelso, pleaded guilty to breaching the Emergency Workers Act by being abusive to nursing staff and also assaulting a police officer on August 10 last year.

Fiona Hamilton, prosecuting, told Selkirk Sheriff Court that the accused had been brought to the hospital unconscious after a drug overdose. She explained that when he came round he was shouting and swearing at staff as he believed they were not helping him.

A police officer who was there on other business tried to intervene but Mclean was abusive to her and started throwing items at staff.

Ms Hamilton said: “Police took him outside. However at around 8pm the accused returned and started shouting at nurses again demanding medication. The police officer again intervened and he told the officer she was corrupt. He attempted to grab her radio and attempted to grab her by the throat.”

McLean was eventually brought under control by nursing staff and police. When cautioned and charged with being abusive to nurses he replied: “I don’t remember” and in reply to the police assault charge said: “I don’t give a toss."

Defence lawyer Liam Alexander said his client was a wheelchair user and had health difficulties.

He said Mclean had been changing medication which had affected him and he “was in a state in the hospital and panicked”.

However he added: “He had voluntarily taken the drugs so it was his fault for getting into the state he was. He accepts his behaviour was out of control and would have been distressing for those present. He is sorry for his behaviour.

“People working in those positions should not be subjected to this sort of thing.”

Sheriff Douglas Keir said the behaviour was unacceptable towards hard working people who were trying to help him. McLean was given a four-month Restriction of Liberty order keeping him in his Roxburgh Street home between the hours of 7pm and 7am. He was also ordered to pay £100 compensation to the police officer he assaulted.