Man with ‘real problems’ attacked nurse in emergency room and then wrestled with police on the floor

A father who was given a second chance after brutally attacking another man with a concrete block fell into his violence “just a few weeks ago.”

Jonathan Kelly, of Oswalds Street, Old Swan, was given a 12-month suspended sentence in March after attacking the other man at a building site. He was arrested again in a separate case on February 1, 2024 and taken by police to Whiston Hospital’s emergency department, where a failed escape attempt led to a violent struggle at the hospital entrance.

Speaking at Liverpool Crown Court today, July 11, prosecutor Chris Hopkins said: “(Kelly) was compliant so the officers did not handcuff him – but this enabled him to run away from the officers down the corridor. He got to the door of the emergency department. The officers caught him, he struggled with them, a struggle ensued and both officers were injured.”

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One of the officers was pushed to the ground during the struggle, the other was kicked and suffered a bloody cut to his ear. A nurse, Victoria Booth, tried to help the officers and was punched in the face by Kelly as he thrashed. CCTV of the incident was played to the court, showing Kelly struggling with the officers on the ground before she was restrained.

Mr Hopkins said: “The defendant was abusive. He swore at one of the officers and threatened to spit at them. Several people came to help. They had to cordon off the area. This went on for some time. A very unpleasant incident in the emergency department at 2am.”

Kelly, 34, was arrested and released on bail following the incident. He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court in March, where he was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, for his earlier attack on the unnamed man at the construction site.

But he squandered his second chance when he failed to turn up for his parole appointments in April. At around 6pm on April 14, 2024, he was filmed brandishing an axe in the middle of Little Heath Road in Speke, presumably in a drug-related argument. The 34-year-old could be seen gesticulating aggressively towards another man out of camera view before damaging a nearby car with the axe, striking it multiple times and breaking the windows.

He pleaded guilty to a number of offences, including escape, three counts of assault on an emergency worker, possession of a knife and breach of his suspended sentence.

Defense attorney Kevin Liston said: “(Kelly) was not in the best mental health at the time. He had spent some time in a psychiatric hospital in January of this year and unfortunately these events occurred on February 1st in the midst of this turbulent time.”

“In March this year he received a suspended sentence. He admits that he had difficulty adjusting, that his mental health was unfortunately problematic and that very soon he was caught on the road brandishing an axe and damaging the vehicle. This was the cumulative effect of various problems. An abusive childhood, a disrupted education, lack of intervention and mental health issues. He has a regrettable tendency to act impulsively and he has a history of using Class A and B drugs.”

Sentencing Kelly, Judge Andrew Menary said the father had reverted to his old behaviour “just weeks” after being given “a second chance”.

He said: “You were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, in the hope that you would resolve some of your outstanding issues. You were given a chance, which came with significant demands. However, an updated report shows that despite initial hopes that you would commit, you failed to attend appointments in April, around the time you committed the knife offence.

“This is a serious offence in the context of previous offences. You are clearly someone who has real problems. Perhaps there are mental health issues, perhaps you had difficulties with your upbringing, but none of that excuses your behaviour.”

He sentenced Kelly to two months in prison for his escape attempt and four months for each of the three attacks on police and Nurse Booth, to be served concurrently. He also sentenced him to 12 months for possession of the hatchet and fully enforced his 12-month suspended sentence, meaning he will spend a total of two years and six months behind bars.

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