THE BEWIGGED LAYABOUT AND THE HONEST DOCTOR

A jobless yob who smashed a scalding hot cup of tea over his GP’s head in a row over a sicknote was jailed for eight months.

Wig wearer Martin Byrne, 45, also whacked Dr Harendra Patel, 55, with a hefty set of weighing scales and kicked and punched the terrified medic.

The cocky layabout – found to be in good health when examined by Dr Patel – then told police: ‘Whatever happened to doctor-patient confidentiality?’

Jailing Byrne, who claimed incapacity hand-outs, Judge John Hand QC said: ‘You went to your general practitioner in order to raise dissatisfaction over the terms of a medical certificate.

‘That you were perfectly entitled to do,’ said the judge.

‘What you were not entitled to do was, when the medical practitioner did not agree there was anything wrong with you or the terms of the certificate, to attack him in the way you did.’

‘People who assault public servants must expect to go to prison. ‘Doctors are not to be attacked in their surgeries no matter what the provocation and no matter how justifiable the patient feels it is

‘In my judgement the only way to deal with you is by way of immediate custody.’

Byrne, who repeatedly interrupted proceedings from the dock, claimed he suffered depression and Dr Patel had exaggerated the attack.

The doctor received stitches to the back of his head and was treated for severe bruising and a swollen eye, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Simeon Hopkins said Byrne visited the Latimer Health Centre in Hackney, east London, on January 2 this year, unhappy with his certificate.

Dr Patel had already left a new certificate for Byrne to collect from the receptionist following the thug’s threatening behaviour during earlier consultations.

‘She handed it to him and it was not to his liking,’ said Mr Hopkins.

‘He became somewhat rude and aggressive in the waiting area.’

Dr Patel agreed to see Byrne after the lout demanded the sicknote specify the dates he wanted to be off work.

When Dr Patel refused, Byrne flew into a rage and attacked the medic with a steaming hot cuppa, said Mr Hopkins.

‘He picked up a cup of hot tea and he threw it over Dr Patel and then he hit the doctor over the head with the cup, breaking it,’ added the prosecutor.

‘The defendant picked up a heavy set of scales and hit the doctor over the head with them.

‘He also hit the doctor over the head with a bin.

‘Byrne started to kick the doctor in the head and body repeatedly,’ Mr Hopkins added.

‘The defendant was, in fact, arrested on January 14, in Mare Street. ‘When he was arrested he said: “Whatever happened to doctor-patient confidentiality?”‘

Byrne has a string of convictions including assaulting a constable and destroying property.

At an earlier hearing last month, Byrne, who claims incapacity handouts, sacked his barrister Sharn Mardner on grounds that he was unhappy with his treatment by solicitors.

Byrne of (173) Homerton High Street, Homerton, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm.