A wheelchair-bound cerebral palsy sufferer who tackled a nurse and chased another patient around the room in his chair was sentenced in Whanganui District Court on Tuesday.
Daniel Carswell, 38, has been in a wheelchair his whole life, but his condition recently deteriorated, defence lawyer Stephanie Burlace said. His speech was also impaired, making communication difficult and, at times, frustrating.
On June 6, Carswell "became angry and agitated at another patient" in the Laura Fergusson Rehabilitation Centre in Liverpool St, police prosecutor Sergeant Drew Morrison said.
"While in the wheelchair, the defendant chased the patient around the lounge area in an attempt to catch him."
A nurse stood in the way to stop Carswell but he "lunged forward out of his wheelchair, bear-hugged the victim and fell on to the floor while holding her".