Albany nurse assault: Woman who bashed nurse avoids prison

A 29-year-old Albany woman repeatedly punched a female nurse in the face and tore a clump of hair from her head during an assault at Albany Health Campus. Amy Georgina Williams appeared in Albany Magistrate’s Court in police custody on Thursday pleading guilty to assaulting a person who was providing a health service to the public. Police Prosecutor Sergeant Dave Loverock told the court that about 9.45am on March 16, Williams was a voluntary patient at the Albany Health Campus mental health ward. She approached the nurses’ station and grabbed a nurse by the hair and punched her to the head and face several times. Williams then forced the nurse to the ground while holding her by the hair and continued striking her to the face and head in an assault that lasted about 15 seconds, Sgt Loverock said. Sgt Loverock said the nurse suffered soreness and swelling to the head and had a “large clump of hair removed”. He described it as a “substantial assault on a person providing care to the accused”. Defence lawyer Kyah Langdon said while in the mental health ward, Williams said she began to hallucinate and believed the nurses were “making fun of her” and “making racist comments”. Magistrate Dianne Scaddan said the incident would have been upsetting for anyone else receiving treatment and could warrant a term of imprisonment. Williams received a seven-month prison sentence, which Ms Scaddan suspended for 10 months.