Man who stabbed doctor at Ulster Hospital jailed for year
A 51-year-old man who stabbed a doctor at the Ulster Hospital hours after discharging himself against medical advice has been jailed for a year.
The doctor sustained a wound to his back after Algis Griskevicius entered a ward at the Dundonald hospital armed with two knives on 3 December 2021.
He threatened staff then approached a doctor from behind and put his hand around the medic's neck.
During the incident, the doctor felt something sharp on his back and sustained a minor wound to his back.
Belfast Crown Court heard that when staff and patients in the ward ran to safety and barricaded themselves behind a double door, Griskevicius followed them.
He then punched the doors and stabbed one of knives through a gap in the door before being apprehended by security staff.
Griskevicius, from East Street in Newtownards, was sentenced for three offences by Judge Mark Reel, who divided the term between a year in prison and a year on licence.
The Judge said: "It hardly needs stating that this must have been an extremely frightening event for the patients and staff at the hospital."
The Judge revealed Griskevicius never had health issues until the weeks prior to these offences, when he started to experience severe headaches and blackouts.
Also drinking heavily at the time, he sought medical treatment at the Ulster Hospital - but discharged himself against the advice of doctors.
He returned to the hospital later that day and attacked the doctor while armed with two knives.
Following his arrest, Griskevicius claimed he had no recollection of what happened and could provide neither a motive nor an explanation for his actions.
He expressed shame for his behaviour and pleaded guilty to assaulting the doctor and occasioning him actual bodily harm, possessing two knives with intent to commit actual bodily harm, and attempting to damage the double doors on the hospital ward.
Judge Reel said that after reading reports regarding Griskevicius's mental health, he accepted that at the time of the incident the defendant was suffering from a mental disturbance brought on by alcohol dependency and withdrawal.
The Judge added he had taken into consideration Griskevicius's lack of relevant offending and his mental state on the day in question.
The Lithuanian national, who has been living in Northern Ireland since 2004, intends to return to his native country when he completes his sentence.
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