Brighton hospital A&E knifeman given date for sentence

A man is to be sentenced for threatening one man with a knife and attacking another in the accident and emergency (A&E) department of a Brighton hospital. Joshua Byrne, 32, of Mountbatten Court, Ingram Crescent East, Hove, denied attempted murder in the A&E department at the Royal Sussex County Hospital but he admitted affray. He also pleaded guilty to threatening one man with violence and trying to cause another man grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent on Tuesday 3 October.

At Lewes Crown Court on Friday (15 December) Judge Christine Laing, the honorary recorder of Brighton and Hove, set Thursday 1 February as a provisional date to sentence Byrne. The court was told that a psychiatric report had been commissioned and a pre-sentence report was ordered along with an assessment of Byrne's dangerousness. The judge also ordered the prosecution to prepare a sentencing note, setting out - among other things - the sentencing options open to the court.

Byrne was remanded in custody. At the time of the incident, Sussex Police said: "Police received a report of a disturbance at the accident and emergency department at the Royal Sussex County Hospital at 10.55pm on Tuesday 3 October. "Officers arrested a man on suspicion of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) shortly afterwards.

"We can confirm that Joshua Byrne, 32, of Ingram Crescent East, Hove, was charged with attempted murder, threatening a person with a blade, blackmail, breaching a stalking order, breaching a restraining order and affray. "He appeared before Brighton Magistrates' Court on Thursday 5 October where he was remanded in custody to appear before Lewes Crown Court on Thursday 2 November." Byrne was made the subject of a stalking protection order on Friday 9 June by District Judge Amanda Kelly.

The order prohibited Byrne from contacting Kaylee Gregory and banned him from an area of Brighton.

Breaching a stalking protection order is punishable by up to five years in prison.

The order was imposed after Byrne was found to have stalked Kaylee Gregory and was assessed as continuing to pose a risk.