A man who lashed out in Wagga Base Hospital and caused about $1000 damage to an elevator has been warned he will be doing more than just footing the bill.
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Griffith man Troy John Gordon, 41, had just finished being seen with his child at the paediatric ward on December 15 when he became aggressive and agitated.
CCTV footage showed Gordon press the elevator button and walk around impatiently a few times before he kicked the button and wall in with his foot.
Realising there was a CCTV camera present, Gordon then stood in front of the wall in an attempt to cover up the damage he had caused.
He and his family then left the hospital, making no attempt to report what had happened.
Gordon’s actions caused damage to the hospital wall and the elevator’s conveyor components totalling $913.
In Wagga Local Court on Wednesday, Gordon pleaded guilty to one count of destroying or damaging property after making full admissions to police.
Magistrate Christopher Halburd ripped into Gordon for essentially taking money away from sick people.
“There are already limited funds available to treat people, so when idiots like you come along and divert funds from the treatment of those people by doing this sort of stupid thing – it’s beyond stupid, it’s selfish … now the hospital has to pay to fix this,” Mr Halburd said.
When Gordon told the magistrate he was planning to pay for his damages, Mr Halburd said his sentence would not be ending there.
“You’re going to be doing a bit more than paying for your damages,” he said.
“Last time you committed this offence, you went to jail – 2014, destroy or damage property, imprisonment, three months.”
Mr Halburd ordered a sentence assessment report to be made on Gordon, who will return to court on November 20 to learn his fate.
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