A female doctor was punched several times in the head and forced to the ground during an attempted hijacking in the car park of a Co Down hospital as she arrived on shift, a court has heard.
The doctor was allegedly attacked in the grounds of Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry shortly before 8.30pm on Monday, January 31.
A 40-year-old man, Bernard Francis Ward, has been charged over the incident while police have also arrested a 30-year-old man who remains in custody.
Ward, of The Demesne in Newry, appeared before Newry Magistrates Court via a video-link on Wednesday from Banbridge custody suite charged with assault and attempted hijacking.
A PSNI detective constable said she could connect the accused to the charges before the court.
Giving evidence, the officer said CCTV showed two males entering the hospital car park at 8.25pm, who could then be seen wandering around cars.
They spent some time waiting at the outpatients building before making their way to the hospital entrance where the doctor drove into the car park in a silver Audi TT.
“As she got out of the car, she was approached by one of the males who put on a pair of gloves and shouted ‘nice car’ at her,” the officer said.
“When she turned around, the doctor was punched twice in the face and forced to the ground.”
She outlined how a struggle ensued on the ground with the two males as they tried to get the car keys from the doctor.
During the assault, the doctor sustained a wrist injury, bruising to her back and she was punched several times in the head.
Around 20 minutes later, Ward was observed in the hospital vicinity by police but disappeared out of sight before later being arrested at his home address.
During police interviews, Ward admitted being one of the males in the CCTV but denied being aware that the assault and hijacking was going to take place.
He also initially gave police a false name for the other male involved who has since been arrested.
The detective constable objected to bail on the grounds that there is a risk of further offences and the fact that Ward has 20 previous convictions, including two for burglary and six for assault.
His most recent conviction involved the 2014 assault and burglary of a 90-year-old woman in a fold, where she was dragged from her bed and held to the ground in order to steal a handbag.
The detective constable said there were additional concerns that the victim in this case is a local doctor and there has been “public revulsion” of the attack.
The court was also told of the fear of potential for interference with witnesses, given that the defendant knows where the injured party works and where her car is so there is a distinct possibility he could return to the area if granted bail.
Defence solicitor John Rocks conceded that it was “a very unsavoury incident” and noted the media backlash to the attack.
Mr Rocks added that his client has “significant mental health issues”, but has assisted police enquiries as best he can and is not regarded as the main assailant in the offence, as noted by the officer.
He said the court could impose stringent bail concerns in order to alleviate any concerns police and prosecution may have about his client.
Deputy District Judge Anne Marshall said it had been “a very serious incident” involving a female doctor reporting for duty at Daisy Hill Hospital and going about her business to provide medical services to the public.
She added that Ward had involved himself in the hijacking by struggling to get the car keys, during which the doctor was injured and he accepts that it was him in the CCTV footage.
“He is a man with a propensity for violence and there is a risk of further offending and that he might interfere with witnesses. I am not satisfied that there are bail conditions I could formulate that would protect the public in these circumstances,” she added.
Bail was refused and Ward was remanded in custody to appear in court again via videolink on March 2nd.
In a statement, the Southern Trust said its employee was attacked as she was "coming to work, to look after others" and had been left "very distressed".
"Thankfully, passers-by disturbed the perpetrators, however our colleague who did sustain injuries and was understandably very distressed," a spokesperson added.
"We appreciate the very quick response of the PSNI who have reviewed our CCTV and we are working with them on their investigations."
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