LONDON (Reuters) - A man with a fetish for medical items has become the
first person to be banned from every hospital in England and Wales, the NHS
says.
Unemployed Norman Hutchins, 53, has harassed and abused medical staff more
than 40 times since January in his quest for surgical masks and gowns, a
court in York was told.
The court banned him from all private and NHS hospitals and doctors' and
dentists' offices.
Hutchins tried to obtain medical items by feigning illness, or claiming to
need them for a fancy dress run or an amateur play, the Times reported on
Wednesday.
"(He has) caused harassment, alarm and distress to NHS staff when attempting
to obtain gowns and surgical masks in person or on the phone," an NHS
spokesman said in a statement.
More than 30 local health organisations banned him with civil injunctions,
but Hutchins kept moving to new areas.
Hutchins' lawyer Harry Bayman said his client "was not a well man", but
accepted the court's decision.
If he needs medical treatment, Hutchins will be allowed to visit hospitals
or doctors under strictly controlled conditions or with prior written
consent.
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