A NURSE was subjected to vile racial abuse by a drunk as she tended to sick patients in the accident and emergency department.

Drunken nuisance Garry McVey swore at and was aggressive towards the female NHS worker after attending Warrington Hospital – doing so with a can of beer in his hand.

The 45-year-old also assaulted a police officer by throwing juice at them after being taken to Runcorn Custody Suite.

He was charged with racially aggravated disorderly behaviour and assault by beating of an emergency worker and was sentenced at Warrington Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Tuesday.

Simon Green, prosecuting, explained how the offences occurred on January 13 this year, with the first victim being a nurse at Warrington Hospital’s A&E department.

The nurse was completing an overnight handover to a colleague when the defendant entered the department saying that he needed a drink – despite holding a can of beer.

He accused the nurse of ‘not looking after him’ and again asked for a drink.

When challenged about his behaviour, McVey told the nurse to ‘f**k off’ multiple times and made derogatory comments about her race in an ‘aggressive manner’.

The court heard how the nurse felt scared following his comments and was worried that he might lash out at her.

Police attended the Lovely Lane site and McVey was taken to Runcorn Custody Suite, where some two and a half hours later he threw juice through the hatch of his cell at the custody sergeant.

In his defence, Jonathan Conder said that the most significant factor of mitigation for his client was his poor mental health at the time, when he was having a ‘bad episode’.

McVey was sentenced at Warrington Magistrates Court

McVey was sentenced at Warrington Magistrates' Court

The court heard how McVey had been badly affected by the loss of two people close to him, leaving him in a ‘very poor mental state’.

Since then however, his situation has ‘dramatically improved’, and he is now a different person than he was in January, undergoing a ‘real transformation’.

“Although he does not remember the incident, he is aware of what happened and is remorseful,” Mr Lander added.

“It was completely out of character for him to act in a racist manner.”

Before sentencing, district judge Mark Hadfield said: “Each offence is so serious that the custody threshold has been passed.

“The first offence was on a nurse who was simply at the hospital working and assisting people, and you, while in drink, racially abused her while holding a can of beer.

“At the station you dispatched drink through the hatch, and the officer would not have known what the contents were at the time, causing him great concern.”

Due to the fact he has shown he can stay out of trouble, with his last offence being in 2016, and the fact that the Probation Service can work with him, the prison sentence was suspended.

McVey, of Brook Street in Whiston, was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months

He was also handed a 12 month rehabilitation order including 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days, and he must pay £100 compensation each to the nurse and the officer, as well as £85 in court costs and a £128 surcharge to fund victim services.