A HIGHLY respected nurse who head-butted a seriously ill pensioner in his care three times has been jailed for 15 months.

David Hadfield reacted with violence to a clash of heads with 72-year-old Thomas Bretherton, being treated in critical care at Royal Blackburn Hospital.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Colleagues looked on in disbelief as he assaulted the pensioner who had pancreatitis, and whose wife, Marie, Hadfield had reassured he would look after and told her not to worry.

The only possible explanation he could give was that he was going through a difficult patch in his relationship with his partner, Preston Crown Court was told.

Hadfield, 54, was convicted of unlawful wounding by a jury, but was cleared of wounding with intent.

Judge Simon Newell said: “I have come to the conclusion that ordinary members of the community would find this a gross violation of trust.

“Mr Bretherton went into the Royal Blackburn Hospital expecting care, compassion and concern and in the main he received that from the health care professionals at that hospital.

“You were part of that respected team, but on that night you caused harm and damage to Mr Bretherton.

His victim had been wearing a hood over his head and oxygen was pumped in to help him breathe.

The defendant had gone to turn him at midnight on August 6 last year, with the help of two colleagues.

Tim Storrie, prosecuting, said Mr Bretherton was not lucid and often very distressed by the circumstances he found himself in.

He said: “It appears the nurses had to hold his hands to try and re-assure him where he was.

“It was decided by David Hadfield he should administer a sedative by a cannula in his left wrist.

“It appears Mr Bretherton was so concerned about the situation that he attempted to leave his bed. There was a clash of heads between him and David Hadfield.

“After that it appeared David Hadfield responded by saying ‘come on then’. A nurse described this as an aggressive response, rather than one of surprise.

“What followed was a matter of disbelief among the nurses. They saw David Hadfield head-butt Thomas Bretherton three times.”

The patient had three superficial cuts to his forehead which were glued.

After the assault Hadfield, of Lower Carr Lane, Oldham, made a ‘rapid retreat to a sense of professionalism’, said the prosecution.

Simon Nichol, defending, handed in a raft of glowing references on Hadfield’s behalf, a nurse of 30 years.

He said: “There was clearly no element of premeditation to anything Mr Hadfield did.”