Man charged with assault after he refused Covid treatment and ‘pinned nurse against wall’

Key workers in Nottingham have faced hundreds of such incidents during pandemic, police say

A man has been charged with assault and criminal damage after allegedly pinning a hospital nurse against a wall while refusing coronavirus treatment.

Police said officers were called to the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham after a man was said to have cracked a window, pushed one nurse and pinned another against a wall.

Jake Brinley was arrested at the scene at around 8.50am on Tuesday, Nottinghamshire Police said.

The 23-year-old has now been charged with two counts of assault and one charge of criminal damage.

Two response constables were forced to physically restrain the man and now have to to self-isolate for 10 days, police said.

Brinley, of no fixed address, was set to appear at the city's magistrates' court on Wednesday.

Inspector Charlotte Allardice, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Our response teams quickly attended the scene and brought the incident to a safe conclusion.

"The incident was immediately investigated resulting in a man now being brought before the courts.

"The officers involved went into this situation equipped with the required protective gear but knew that they risked exposure to the virus due to prolonged close contact and that it would result in them having to isolate at the very least."

Police said there have been hundreds of incidents of assault on key workers across Nottingham during the pandemic so far.

Ms Allardice added: “This serves as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by officers and NHS staff during this pandemic and the fact that they put themselves at risk in order to serve the public and protect the NHS.”

Sarah Moppett, Interim Chief Nurse at Nottingham City Hospitals, said: “We will not tolerate violence, aggression or abuse towards our staff.

“Our staff continue to work tirelessly to be there when our communities need us, in what are exceptionally difficult circumstances. So that we can carry on being there for the public, we need their support; not violence or aggression."