Andrew Stonier, 31, subjected staff at Royal Oldham Hospital in Greater Manchester to ‘serious abuse and threats’ before he was banned from the building until 2029
A man who threatened to set a hospital on fire and made repeated threats to staff has been banned from the premises for three years.
Andrew Stonier, 31, subjected staff at Royal Oldham Hospital in Greater Manchester to “serious abuse and threats”, Oldham Council said.
The local authority sought a criminal behaviour order (CBO) against the man to protect NHS staff at the hospital until June 2029. This is a court order in England and Wales issued to tackle the most serious and persistent offenders involved in anti-social behaviour.
Oldham Council said: “The order follows a series of incidents in which the offender made repeated threats towards nurses and hospital staff, including threats to set fire to the hospital.
“This behaviour caused significant disruption as staff spent hours on end dealing with Stonier, diverting valuable time and resources.
“As a result of the court order, the offender is prohibited from entering Royal Oldham Hospital until 28 June 2029, except in specific circumstances such as attending a pre-arranged appointment or requiring emergency medical treatment. A breach of the order will result in arrest.”
As per the court order, Stonier must not enter Royal Oldham Hospital, including the clinical area, ward, department, A&E, and outpatient facility.
He can only attend the hospital for a pre-arranged appointment and must leave 30 minutes before and after. There is an exemption which only applies where “genuine emergency medical treatment is required”.
Anyone who breaches the conditions of a CBO faces further criminal action and could be returned to court, reports Manchester Evening News.
An Oldham Council spokesperson said: “This individual’s behaviour towards dedicated NHS staff was completely unacceptable.
“No one should be subjected to threatening, abusive or intimidating behaviour while carrying out their job, particularly those working tirelessly to provide care to patients.
“These incidents placed an unnecessary burden on hospital staff and valuable NHS time and resources were spent dealing with his vile and threatening behaviour.
“We took robust action to secure this Criminal Behaviour Order, which sends a clear message that behaviour of this nature will not be tolerate and we will ensure that action is taken against anyone whose behaviour causes harm, fear or disruption in our communities.”
