Thug Sentenced for Violent Attacks on NHS Staff and Shopworkers

A 23-year-old man has been sentenced for a series of violent assaults on emergency workers and shop staff, despite attempting to attribute his actions to his epilepsy. Charlie Simmons, from Green Top Court in Gillingham, faced charges involving nine assaults and five incidents of shoplifting. During the hearings at Medway Magistrates’ Court, it was revealed that a psychiatric report found no evidence supporting his claims that his condition led to aggressive behavior.

The court heard that Simmons’s offending behavior began in February 2023, when he committed theft at a BP Service Station in Queenborough, stealing goods valued at £112.59. Prosecutor Victoria Aked detailed further incidents, including a violent encounter at Medway Maritime Hospital in December 2023, where Simmons attacked a nurse and three security guards while receiving treatment. Witness accounts indicated that he approached the nurse with a clenched fist, prompting her to step back to avoid being struck.

Simmons’s mother attempted to shift blame for his actions, claiming the nurse’s communication upset him. Aked stated that the nurse, although not physically harmed, was left “shaking and tearful” from the confrontation. The violence escalated as Simmons also attacked hospital security personnel, making threats and attempting to spit on them.

The pattern of Simmons’s criminal behavior included multiple assaults on shopworkers. In March 2024, he was involved in a racially aggravated incident at a Tesco store in Gillingham after being asked to leave due to suspected shoplifting. Aked recounted how he threatened a security guard with violence and used racial slurs during the altercation.

Simmons’s criminal record also includes theft from a Sainsbury’s store in Deal, where he assaulted a shopworker while attempting to escape with a bottle of whiskey. Other notable incidents involved a violent confrontation in a pub in Broadstairs in August 2023, where he threatened to kill another patron over a dispute.

In total, Simmons committed several thefts earlier this year, stealing items worth £27.74 from a Tesco in Strood and alcohol valued at £6.25 from another store in Gillingham. Aked emphasized that Simmons’s history of violence and theft demonstrated a troubling pattern, with previous convictions for similar offenses and assaults on emergency workers.

Defending attorney William Russell argued that Simmons had undergone extensive evaluation regarding his epilepsy and its potential link to his aggression. He noted that although Simmons had no recollection of events post-seizure, expert assessments indicated that his condition did not meet the threshold for a legal defense.

Magistrates ultimately decided against a custodial sentence, opting instead to impose a 24-month community order. This includes nine months of alcohol treatment and 45 rehabilitation sessions, aiming to address Simmons’s substance abuse issues. Additionally, he was ordered to pay a total of £700 in compensation to his victims, with payments set at £20 per month due to his financial situation.

The court also revealed that Simmons owed over £5,157.46 in past fines, which will now be consolidated with the new compensation orders. As he begins his community order, magistrates expressed hope that he would engage positively with probation services to address his issues and reduce the risk of reoffending.