Patient jailed for threats and racist abuse against nurse

Published on Friday 18 December 2009 22:09

A PATIENT who launched a campaign of racist abuse against a nurse and left over 40 voicemail messages threatening to stab her was jailed for a year yesterday.

Elizabeth Murray, 39, told crisis practitioner Isobel Bunton: "I've already stabbed a nurse using scissors and the blood was running out of her. I'll find out where you live."

Murray also repeatedly damaged Ms Bunton's car and shouted racist abuse at her at Easterhouse Health Centre in November last year.

At Glasgow Sheriff Court yesterday, Sheriff Martin Jones told Murray she would be supervised for six months on her release from prison. He also gave her a ten-year non-harassment order.

At an earlier hearing, Murray, of Baldragon Road, Glasgow, admitted pursuing a racially aggravated course of conduct and harassing Ms Bunton at the health centre on Auchinlea Road between 12 and 23 November, 2008.

She also admitted committing a breach of the peace.

Prosecutor Alison Hill told the court that Murray had been receiving treatment from Ms Bunton but often threw temper tantrums when she didn't get her own way.

Ms Hill explained that on 13 November, another member of staff listened to voice mail messages that had been left on the centre's answer machine.

She said: "The accused's voice could be heard saying 'Izzie is a black b*****d'. In a second message she said 'I f***ing hate all you'."

The court heard that Murray was then invited in to the centre to meet Ms Bunton and her boss the next day.

Ms Hill said: "Isobel Bunton found the accused sitting in the waiting room and invited her in.

"The accused turned and shouted at her 'you are a f***ing big black b*****d' before walking out of the centre.

"Ms Bunton went out to check her car and saw that the bonnet had been scratched several times. She then contacted the police."