Man banned from hospital for three years

A 31-year-old man has been banned from entering a Greater Manchester Hospital after he threatened to set it on fire. The ban will be in place until June 2029.

Oldham Council said Andrew Stonier, 31, had ‘subjected hospital staff to serious abuse and threats’ and sought a criminal behaviour order (CBO) against the man to protect NHS staff at Royal Oldham Hospital. This order is a court order in England and Wales designed to tackle the most serious and persistent offenders involved in anti-social behaviour.

The local authority 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.”

Anyone who breaches the conditions of a CBO faces further criminal action and could be returned to court.

Stonier has been told not to enter Royal Oldham Hospital, enter or attempt to enter any clinical area, ward, department, A&E, or outpatient facility.
If he needs to attend hospital, this can only be for a pre-arranged appointment and he must leave 30 minutes before and after. There is an exemption but it ‘applies only where genuine emergency medical treatment is required’.

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.”