Adam William Chapman pleads guilty to verbally abusing Proserpine Hospital staff

Arrested after verbally abusing hospital staff, including calling a male nurse a ‘f*****g fa***t,’ a self-confessed addict told a court it was ‘just the booze talking’.

A Cannonvale man lashed out at hospital staff when they asked him to leave after receiving treatment. File photo​

A Cannonvale man arrested at a Whitsunday hospital after repeatedly calling a male nurse a “f****t” blamed alcohol for the outburst, saying he was “screaming out for help” in a society lacking adequate support for addicts.

Adam William Chapman pleaded guilty to trespassing and public nuisance at Proserpine Hospital on May 3.

“Every time I drink, I get in trouble,” Chapman told Proserpine Magistrates Court this week.

The court heard Chapman was admitted about lunchtime because of his level of intoxication, then refused to leave the premises when he was discharged that afternoon, telling staff “Get f****d c***s, I’m not leaving”.

Prosecutor Chelsea Pearson said Chapman targeted his aggression towards a male nurse named Sam, threatening to “bash” him, calling him a “f*****g fa***t” and telling him Sam was “a girl’s name”.

Representing himself in court, Chapman admitted to verbally attacking the nurse but said the incident was a cry for help.

“I did call him a f- that word, but I’m not violent, it just would’ve been the booze talking,” he said.

The self-employed electrician told the court he had been seeking treatment for his addiction, and had already spent a week in rehab in Mackay, but had found “there’s not much help for people with addiction”.

Magistrate Ron Muirhead imposed a $600 fine.

No convictions were recorded.