Edinburgh crime: Drunk woman Zoe Walker abused nursing staff and smashed bottle at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary

She turned up at the hospital complaining of sore ribs before the incident

A drunken lout smashed a wine bottle and abused nursing staff during a shocking outburst at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Zoe Walker, 34, turned up at the Capital hospital complaining of “sore ribs” but soon began shouting and swearing at nurses and security staff. Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told Walker arrived at the accident and emergency department while carrying the glass wine bottle at around 7pm on October 27, 2021.

Walker was seen to be waving the bottle in the air and “disturbing members of the public and [hospital] staff” before security guards attempted to calm her down. She then smashed the bottle on the hospital floor after she was told she would have to wait to be seen at triage department.

Police were called to Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary after the shocking outburst

Walker, of the city’s Stenhouse area, then repeatedly spat on the floor and was warned to stop by staff due to “the Covid restrictions”. The court was told she continued to spit on the floor and told the two security staff “stop telling me what to do”. During the disturbance, Walker also aggressively confronted nurse Nicola Smart and the court was told while the pair were “face to face” spit went into the medic’s left eye.

She also shouted “I’m not a criminal” and continued to swear before the guards were forced to take her to an observation room where she was taken to the floor and restrained. Police were called and officers noted she was still being held on the floor by the security staff when they arrived at the city hospital. Walker was arrested and charged at around 8.25pm and told officers “I've done nothing wrong”.

Solicitor Gillian Law, defending, said her client had been suffering from “alcohol addiction and mental health difficulties” at the time of the offence but would reserve her mitigation to the sentencing hearing. Sheriff Kenneth Campbell KC said: “Clearly I will require a report as there are a number of troubling matters.”

Sentence was deferred to next month for social work reports to be prepared. Walker pleaded guilty at the capital’s sheriff court on Tuesday to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on October 27, 2021.