A PATIENT who attacked a healthcare assistant by spraying him in the face with a can of deodorant has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Matthew David Morgan, of no fixed abode, admitted the offence when he appeared at Pontypridd Magistrates’ Court on January 16.

The court heard how the 28-year-old had been a patient at the mental health unit in Royal Glamorgan Hospital, in Llantrisant, on October 17, 2012, when the attack occurred.

Morgan went into the treatment room on ward 22 at the hospital, where the healthcare assistant was working on his own.

Carrying an aerosol deodorant in his hand, he closed the door and deliberately sprayed the NHS staff member in the face.

Pontypridd Magistrates’ Court sentenced Morgan to four months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.

Speaking after the case, Dave Lewis, Cwm Taf Health Board’s violence and aggression case manager, said: “We take the issue of threatening and violent behaviour against our staff, or indeed other patients and visitors, very seriously.

“This is another successful prosecution following a particularly nasty attack on a healthcare assistant at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital and should serve as a warning to people who think that such behaviour is somehow acceptable.

“We will pursue legal action against anyone who threatens or abuses our staff.”