A man who spat in a healthcare assistant’s face has been sentenced to community service and probation.

Brendan Shaw Creer was being treated for a head injury at the hospital at the time, after a fall.

The 20-year-old admitted common assault and was ordered to do 120 hours unpaid work and put on probation for a year.

He was also ordered to pay £250 compensation to the healthcare assistant.

Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood told Creer: ‘Spitting at anyone is disgusting, but to do it to someone who was trying to help you is truly disgraceful.’

We previously reported that Creer was at Accident and Emergency on December 21, being treated for an injury.

He was described as intoxicated and had to be restrained by police and hospital staff.

A female nurse was putting a cannula in his arm but Creer swore at her, saying: ‘F*****g b*tch.’

He spat out with the spittle landing on her face, collar bone and neck.

Prosecuting advocate Barry Swain said that it was a particularly nasty incident, bearing in mind the risks of spreading infection, and that the healthcare assistant had been trying to help the defendant at the time.

After being treated, Creer was arrested and later interviewed by police. He handed in a prepared statement saying that he had no recollection of events during his treatment or his arrest.

He said that he wanted to apologise to the nurse, and admitted that spitting was unacceptable.

Defence advocate Helen Lobb asked for credit to be given for her client’s guilty plea, entered at the earliest opportunity. Ms Lobb said that Creer had been heavily intoxicated at the time of the offence and had no recollection of the incident or his arrest.

The advocate said that she was not seeking to undermine the seriousness of the offence, but that Creer had sustained a head injury and had woken up surrounded by strangers, having a cannula inserted into him.

Ms Lobb said that the defendant had been struggling with his mental health and grief after a family bereavement, which had led him to make a series of bad decisions, culminating with the offence.

She said that Creer, who lives at Y Vaarney Yiarg in Castletown, had been referred to the drug and alcohol team and was making positive changes.

Ms Lobb said: ‘He doesn’t want to be before the court again, or causing harm to others.

‘He is focussed on getting himself back on the right track in life.’

The advocate went on to say that Creer needed support and urged the court to follow the recommendation of a probation report, which suggested a combination order as the most appropriate sentence.

Creer was also ordered to pay £125 prosecution costs, which he will pay, along with the compensation, at a rate of £10 per week, deducted from benefits.