Mark Flett

Mark Flett, a 47-year-old man from Workington, Cumbria, was involved in a disturbing incident at a local NHS hospital where he was receiving treatment. While under the influence of alcohol and possibly laced substances, Flett made repeated inappropriate advances towards a nurse caring for him, culminating in a sexual assault.

The court heard that Flett had been admitted for treatment and was behaving aggressively from the outset. Prosecutor Nicola Mills outlined how NHS staff called 999 after Flett became verbally abusive, making threats such as 'I will smash your faces in', which left staff fearing for their safety. A statement from the assaulted nurse detailed the events: she had taken over his care when he, clearly intoxicated, demanded a kiss from her. Despite her firm refusals, Flett persisted, commenting 'you’re a sexy nurse' while placing his hand on her arm, leaving her shocked and uncomfortable.

After briefly falling asleep, Flett awoke and attempted to get out of bed. With assistance from a colleague, the nurse tried to settle him, but Flett then groped her in a sexual manner. The nurse stepped back, telling him 'no', but Flett laughed, leaving her feeling disgusted. His aggression escalated towards another staff member, who later stated in court: 'I don’t come to work to be verbally abused. I’m here to help people, not take abuse from them.'

Flett was arrested at the scene. In a pre-prepared statement to police, he claimed memory loss after consuming sweets laced with THC from friends at a local pub, denying any sexual inappropriateness. His defence, represented by Mike Woolaghan, acknowledged the seriousness of the offences in a vulnerable environment like a hospital but argued they were short-lived incidents with no prior similar convictions, describing them as out of character.

At Workington Magistrates’ Court, Flett pleaded guilty to sexual assault and common assault of an emergency worker. The magistrates imposed a 16-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months, along with a community order requiring 25 days of rehabilitation activities. He was ordered to pay £100 compensation to the sexual assault victim and £50 to the common assault victim, plus £85 in costs and a £154 victim surcharge. Additionally, Flett was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for seven years to protect nursing staff and the public from such behaviour.