Kallangur patient chases doctor, destroys equipment in ‘deplorable’ temper tantrum

A patient irate because he could not get a new prescription threatened and chased a doctor before damaging equipment.

A disgruntled patient who was denied a new medical prescription stormed into a Moreton Bay region health practice where he threatened and chased a doctor around the waiting room, the Pine Rivers Magistrates Court heard today.

Simon John Ahern, 44, pleaded guilty to committing a public nuisance and wilfully damaging a thermal imaging camera at Family Practice Kallangur on Anzac Ave on January 11.

Ahern was a regular at the family practice before he lashed out at staff.

The court heard Ahern was a regular patient at the clinic and well-known to staff, partially due to his work as a full-time carer for his wife, who suffers from spinal degeneration.

According to police prosecutor sergeant Graham Turner, Ahern called the surgery to question why a prescription had been denied during an earlier appointment.

The staff were “short with him” and he was “annoyed because of his own problems”, so Ahern hung up the phone and drove to see the doctor in person, according to duty lawyer Andrew Stewart of Stewart Burr and Mayr Lawyers.

“He went straight to the doctor’s office and barged in, with another patient in the room at the time,” Sgt Turner said.

The thermal camera was destroyed after Ahern struck it. Picture: Facebook.

Ahern briefly left the room to allow the other patient to conclude their appointment, before re-entering in an “extremely agitated” manner.

According to the police report, Ahern threatened to assault the doctor who, fearing for their own safety, fled into the waiting room.

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It was there Ahern chased the doctor, back and forth along the rows of occupied seats, until the doctor finally found refuge behind the front counter.

As Ahern yelled at the doctor another patient tried to intervene and calm him down, but it was no use.

Ahern pushed the patient in the chest and stormed out of the practice, striking out and destroying a thermal camera, used to take temperatures, on the way out.

Mr Stewart said Ahern described his behaviour that day as “deplorable” and had since written a letter of apology to the victim.

Magistrate Trevor Morgan sentenced Ahern to a $2000 good behaviour bond for two years.

No conviction was recorded.