UPDATE, Friday, 7am: A 51-YEAR-OLD itinerant man who damaged vital equipment in an ambulance while being transported to a Warrnambool hospital has been remanded in custody.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Police said Gary Owen, 51, of no fixed address, was picked up on the Mount Gambier Road at Casterton on Wednesday as he was "not making any sense".
He was taken to Hamilton and a decision was made to transport him to Warrnambool, where more appropriate care could be provided.
"During the ambulance trip he allegedly smashed up the inside of an ambulance, in particular a heart monitor," Warrnambool police Sergeant Tom Morris said.
"The cost of the damage has been estimated at $1100. He was taken to the Warrnambool Base Hospital."
Sergeant Morris said police were called when the man became verbally aggressive to Warrnambool hospital staff.
The man was charged with causing damage, remanded in custody overnight Wednesday to appear in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court for a bail/remand application.
At that hearing, Mr Owen declined an opportunity to plead guilty, be fined and released from custody.
He claimed he did not deliberately cause damage to the equipment and wanted to plead not guilty.
Mr Owen claimed to have not been in trouble for some time and described theft from shops as taking “complimentary” items.
Magistrate Michael Coghlan adjourned the case for a further hearing next Monday, remanded Mr Owen in custody.
He said that in August last year Mr Owen had been in court for theft and resisting emergency workers on duty.
Thursday: A 51-YEAR-OLD itinerant man who damaged vital equipment in an ambulance on the way from Hamilton to Warrnambool has been remanded in police custody.
Warrnambool police Sergeant Tom Morris said the man was picked up on the Mount Gambier Road at Casterton on Wednesday as he was "not making any sense".
He was taken to Hamilton where a decision was made to transport him to Warrnambool where more appropriate care could be provided.
"During the ambulance trip he smashed up the inside of an ambulance, in particular a heart monitor," Sergeant Morris said.
"The cost of the damage has been estimated at $1100. He was taken to the Warrnambool Base Hospital."
Sergeant Morris said police were called when the man became verbally aggressive to Warrnambool hospital staff.
The man has been charged with causing damage, was remanded in custody overnight and will appear in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court on Thursday for a bail/remand application.
The man is understood to have mental health issues and some prior court appearances.
