An accounts clerk who viciously attacked two midwives in a maternity ward with a ”kung-fu” kick has been jailed for eight months.
Khalid Khalifa, 24, left Carol Loveridge with suspected kidney damage after kicking her and punched Dawn Gillespie ten times in the face.
He attacked the women at Coventry University Hospital after they asked him to stop allowing relatives onto the ward without permission.
Khalifa was visiting his sister who had given birth on the unit with 10 family members at 7.30pm on March 19.
Mrs Loveridge, 61, and Mrs Gillespie, 43, believed they were buzzing relatives through security doors without permission and when they asked them to stop three of the men grew hostile.
Khalifa began shouting and swearing at the nurses before he kicked a door and had to be restrained.
When Mrs Loveridge went to call security he broke free, chasing her before attacking her from behind, flying at her with a ”kung-fu” style kick.
He then grabbed Mrs Gillespie in a headlock and repeatedly hit her ”in a swinging motion” while his family looked on.
Khalifa was jailed for a total of eight months – four months for each attack to run consecutively – after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) yesterday at Coventry Crown Court.
Sentencing him, Judge Ebrahim Mooncey told him: ”Your actions that day have changed the lives of two women.
”There are two victims still suffering the effects of what you did to them.
”You have to bare in mind incidents like this happen far too frequently so a deterrent sentence has to be passed.
”People performing public duties are regularly subjected to aggression by patients who are no doubt like you.
”You got hold of Dawn Gillespie and punched her repeatedly to the face.
”You caused pain to her head and swelling and redness to her right eye.
”Carol Loveridge felt immediate pain from the kick and was told she had blood in her urine.”
Describing the attack, Lisa Hardy, prosecuting, said: ”Whilst she [Mrs Loveridge] had her back to him, the defendant kicked her in the back in what is described as a Kung-Fu style kick.
”It contacted with her back, in the area of her kidneys and caused her to cry out in shock.
”Almost immediately as that assault took place the defendant turned his attention to Dawn Gillespie, whom he grabbed in a headlock and punched repeatedly in the face.
”She described being hit over ten times in quick succession.”
Judge Mooncey said both woman needed to take time off work and received counselling after the attack.
Reading from a victim impact statement, he said Mrs Gillespie ”felt shocked and gets very upset”.
He added: ”She finds herself avoiding large groups of people as she gets a feeling of panic.”
He said Mrs Loveridge felt ”shocked and extremely humiliated by the attack.”
Jennifer Josephs, defending, said Khalifa, from Foleshill in Coventry, was not a ”violent person”.
She said: ”He is not a martial artist and is not a violent person at all. He is at a loss, as are his family who are flabbergasted at what happened.”
Speaking after the sentence, Detective Chief Inspector Dave Reilly, of West Midlands Police, said: ”This was a totally unwarranted attack on two midwives who were trying to protect mothers, mothers-to-be and babies in their care.
”To react in such an aggressive manner to a simple request to quieten down and wait in a corridor is unacceptable.”
Jill Foster, Acting Chief Nursing Officer, said: ”Violence against our staff cannot be tolerated and we hope this sends a clear message out to others members of the public that we will protect our staff and pursue offenders.”
”You have to bare in mind incidents like this happen far too frequently so a deterrent sentence has to be passed.
Who the hell is this “author”?
Terrible third-world writing.
I’m sorry but it’s to a point where these ridiculous birth shows have made childbirth some ridiculous party. No one should be there besides the medical staff, mother and father, and one at most extra support person. Everyone else can wait at a restaurant or a nearby family member’s home. It’s not a freaking concert. A human is coming out of your vagina what on earth do you want your brother in the waiting room for anyway? Yuck. He can come over in the morning when your makeup is on. Give the new parents a few days to enjoy their new baby alone.
I agree with doubtingThomas — several arbitrary typos indicative of a person who doesn’t know proper English.
In most of the world family is allowed to see the patient…no proof is needed and the family is the protector and maintainer of the sick. The real sickness is giving women who have just given birth icewater and seperating them from their families..or making the woman give birth laying down..these are all barbaric practices that go against nature. Family is more important than beauracracy. I’m not saying the guy was right…but I can understand. A man is inclined by nature to protect his family particularly when they are giving birth…step between that line and its like stepping between a mama bear and her cubs. That can be a powerful force to keep contained. A society so afraid of being politically incorrect has no problem being naturally incorrect.
what are you talking about? Protect his family from who? We by human nature should also respect and not physically harm other people, especially over something so friggin dumb. Nurses are responsible for every patient on the floor, so if people are going against regulations, bad things can happen. Someone with influenza can come in and infect mothers and newborns. And since it would then be hospital acquired, I don’t get my paycheck. There are only so many people allowed to visit at a time for a reason. This is a hospital, not a hotel.
also, women have the choice to give birth the way they want. Hospitals do not make women give birth laying down. It is just more exhausting then what people realize, so laying down conserves their energy, which is why women feel as though they need to lay down. You could say they “naturally” end up that way sometimes.
Seriously? Probably the biggest reason to only allow 2 family members in at one time is to lower the risk of outside infection. By controlling the environment it allows the hospital to cover its back. They shouldn’t have been letting people in when they weren’t supposed to. Aside from that, what if they let in someone that was there to steal a baby? These practices are in place for a reason.
Some nurses are some serious beeeitches–condescending, autocratic. Total guess, but, I’ll bet these two fit the bill. Probably weren’t real “comfortable” with the “weird people” with a different culture. Crappy behavior toward the wrong person (like this unhinged man) = extreme retaliation.
@ActaNonVerba: “Some nurses are some serious beeeitches–condescending, autocratic. Total guess, but, I’ll bet these two fit the bill.”
Let me put it this way: would you feel the same if a man beat up your grandma, mom, sister, or daughter because he felt they were being a “beeeitch” or was disrespecting his “culture”?
I hope he gets his a$$ kung-fu’d in prison.
Incredible! If this young man’s family was looking on, why didn’t they step in and stop him? Regardless of where they come from they obviously haven’t been in England long enough to learn you don’t attack people who perform such important duty. Do they wash hands before they come into the room? I doubt it and if told about hand washing would they lash out against hospital staff? Many newcomers and for a long time afterward stay within they cultural milieu and when they venture outside their circle they show hostility because they’ve never integrated into the larger society.