A 27-YEAR-OLD man who found his way on to a children’s ward at Royal Blackburn Hospital later told police he had been hallucinating and hearing voices in his head.

Blackburn magistrates heard a nurse suffered an injury to her toe as she and colleagues tried to keep Anthony George Smith locked in a side room away from the children.

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And the court was told Smith eventually kicked open a window and jumped 30ft to the ground.

Gareth Price, defending, said Smith told police who found him under the window: “They were shooting at me.”

“That is indicative of his mental health at the time of this unpleasant incident,” said Mr Price.

Smith, of Patterdale Avenue, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to assaulting nurse Emma Creasey and damaging a window belonging to NHS Blackburn.

He was sentenced to four weeks in prison and ordered to pay an £80 victim surcharge.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said Miss Creasey was sitting at her computer at 1.10am when she heard someone running down the corridor.

“At first she thought it was an anxious parent but it was the defendant who was shouting and swearing and described as extremely distressed,” said Miss Allan.

She said staff got Smith into a side room and tried to keep the door shut while they waited for security to arrive.

“He was shouting incoherently and screaming and they were concerned he may go back to where the children were,” said Miss Allan.

Mr Price said it was accepted the magistrates would be concerned the incident had taken place in a hospital and on the children’s unit. He said Smith had been admitted to hospital the previous evening and discharged 20 minutes before the incident.

“He ended up on the unit by accident; it was not deliberately targeted,” said Mr Price.

“When he was running down the corridor he was shouting ‘help me, help me’, and he locked himself in the room. He did himself some harm when he jumped from the window. He is seeking to be sectioned and is in discussion with the mental health services at the moment.”