A DRUNK and aggressive hospital patient threw a glass bottle at security guard.

Gary Ronald Stoner, 50, was found to be in possession of crack cocaine after he was arrested for throwing a bottle at a Royal Sussex County Hospital security guard.

Brighton Magistrates’ Court heard Stoner had been a patient at the Eastern Road hospital’s accident and emergency department, after cutting his hand on July 29.

But after becoming intoxicated and aggressive to staff, hospital security were called to escort him off-site.

Stoner returned for a second time, and was asked to leave.

It was at this point that he smashed a bottle at the feet of security guard Peter Vincent during the fracas.

Mr Vincent was not injured.

Stoner was arrested, and during a search police found three white rocks of cocaine in his right hand pocket.

He pleaded guilty to common assault and possessing a controlled class A drug, crack cocaine.

In mitigation his solicitor Stephanie Dale said: “The facts are straight forward and he accepts them all. “He had too much to drink.

“He admitted everything in the interview.”

Lead magistrates Andrew Tiffen sentenced Stone to four weeks for common assault and two weeks for crack cocaine possession to run concurrently and suspended for 12 months.

He will have to wear a tag and report at his address for four weeks daily from 7pm to 7am.

He was also fined £100 for breaching a suspended sentence imposed on June 13, and given a community order for 12 months for breaching a previous order.

He was fined £115 surcharge and £85 in court costs.

A Brighton and Sussex University Trust spokesman said: “Everyone attending and working in our hospitals is entitled to be treated with respect, dignity and fairness and to feel safe while they are here.

“We seek to hold to account anyone who abuses or is violent towards anyone on our premises.”

Assaults on hospital staff has risen by 24 per cent in the last six years.

There were 56,718 assaults in 2009/10 rising to 70,555 in 2015/16 government figures show.