A Newcastle medical centre was forced to close and lock its doors after a patient made vile threats to a receptionist. Andrew Urwin, 50, was unable to pick up a prescription at a pharmacy, and a worker at his doctors' surgery called him to explain why.
However, Urwin became enraged and made chilling threats, including "I will hunt you down and slit your throat like a dog" and "I will come there and kick your f****** door in", a court was told. He continued to threaten to slit the woman's throat before hanging up, prosecutors said.
Court hears of threats
The doors of the medical centre were immediately locked as police were called, Newcastle Magistrates' Court heard. Urwin, of West Denton Close, in West Denton, was arrested and pleaded guilty to making threats to kill when he appeared in the dock this week.
Brian Payne, prosecuting, said a pharmacy rang Parkway Medical Group, in Chapel House, on June 26 because they couldn't find a prescription for Urwin. The receptionist, who had dealt with Urwin without problem in the past, decided to call him and explain why.
Mr Payne continued: "The defendant said 'I will come up there and slit your f***** throat' around two or three times. The victim replied 'Andy, stop swearing'. He then said 'I will come up there and kick your f***** door in' and 'I will hunt you down like a dog'. The defendant then said 'I will hunt you down like a dog and slit your throat' before hanging up."
Victim's statement and sentence
The court heard that the doors to the centre were immediately locked and the police were called. In a statement, the victim said: "I'm very worried and anxious at work and at home that Andy will turn up and carry out those threats. Nobody should behave in the way he did and I'm utterly shocked by the incident."
The court heard that Urwin was extremely remorseful and wished to apologise to the victim. Ben Hurst, defending, said Urwin had recently been involved in an accident at work, where he was crushed by a van, and had now lost the use of his right hand and only had use of his thumb in the left.
The solicitor said Urwin was on prescribed morphine for the pain related to those injuries and, when his prescription wasn't available, he went into "morphine withdrawal". Mr Hurst added: "He wants to relay his apologies to the victim, he is really very, very sorry."
Giving him an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, District Judge Kate Meek said: "It's difficult for me to understand the offence you have committed. It's easier to understand now I know what's going on and that you were withdrawing from prescribed morphine. However, it is still a serious offence." Urwin must also pay £350 compensation to the victim.
