A homeless man has been charged with throwing objects from scaffolding at the Royal Sussex this week.
James Budd, 57, is also accused of assaulting three police officers at the hospital, and harassing someone while in police cells in Hollingbury.
The incident closed Eastern Road for several hours on Monday, leading to buses being diverted and access to the hospital being affected for patients, staff and ambulances.
The road was first closed during the morning rush hour and was not opened again until late afternoon, with Sussex Police announcing they had arrested a man at about 5pm.
Budd, of no fixed abode, has been charged with one count of intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance.
The charge sheet says that he: “without reasonable excuse, did an act, namely climbed scaffolding and threw objects into the highway resulting in a prolonged closure of the road, and that created a risk or caused serious harm to the public or a section of the public intending or being reckless that it would have such a consequence.”
He’s also charged with three counts of common assault of an emergency worker at the hospital – the victims being listed as police officers Benjamin Wood, Daniel Head and Matthew Seekins.
And he’s also charged with using threatening words towards Thomas Barden at the Crowhurst Road custody centre.
Budd appeared at Brighton Magistrates Court yesterday, where prosecutor Charlotte Frost opened the case for the Crown Prosecution Service. He did not enter a plea.
Chair of the bench Mark Durrell committed him to Lewes Crown Court, remanding him in custody until his first appearance next month.
The scaffolding is up on the building as part of the multimillion redevelopment of the Royal Sussex site.
Earlier this year, Barry Building was demolished to make way for a new Sussex Cancer Centre.
The Hanbury Building, which sits next to where the Barry Building previously stood, is a temporary six-story building which will be removed once the redevelopment is complete.
The NHS asked for permission in February to keep the building for another 18 months because of delays in building a new radiopharmacy unit. The application was approved in June.
No mention of the 5 windows he smashed
Wanted,,, 1 container village, keep them busy for a while trying to open it from the inside, I’ve had enough of the constant supply of ignorant plebs who suddenly claim “mental health” but seem to remember accuratly when social benefits get paid out,,,, and how much. Endless waste of resources most of them.
This the same guy who you regularly see climbing trees in pavilion gardens? Shouting at people, throwing things, urinating etc
Usually on his days when he thinks he deserves “more” from society,,, or the taxpayer, drink problem I believe.
Pragmatically, a controlled custodial environment might be quite good for this troubled individual.
He obviously needs help,the same thing happened a few years ago during the construction of the new building if we remember, and the same person was found dead at the bottom of one a lift shaft under construction, he was obviously put in a cell and released into the public again without help,there’s always two sides to a coin.
Indeed. Most of my colleagues have agreed in the past that there are not enough mental health facilities out there. I don’t consider the hospital to really be one either, the clinical environment is more of a trigger than anything else.