A nurse at Nottingham's City Hospital has relived the moment a man claiming to have a fracture told her "this gun, this bullet is the bullet I will put in your head".

Gemma Dawes, 30, works as a cancer nurse in the hospital and before a busy shift was approached by Stephen Hind in the terrifying encounter.

Despite people across the country observing strict lockdown restrictions, Hind was committing a wave of crimes across the city - including threatening to kill Ms Dawes.

The incident happened as the hospital nurse arrived for her shift on Friday, April 3, when she began to talk to Hind at the site's south entrance and "he thought I was a doctor".

But when Ms Dawes told Hind she was a nurse he "flipped", threatening to kill her and claiming that "nurses are the ones spreading coronavirus".

Speaking following Hind's sentencing at Nottingham Crown Court, the nurse has relived the horrible ordeal.

"I was just walking into work, it was first thing in the morning, and I saw him sat on the side. He was just talking to me as normal", she told Nottinghamshire Live.

Nottingham City Hospital

"I think he thought I was a doctor and he needed my help, but when I mentioned I was a nurse he flipped.

"He cornered me and pretended he had a gun, which turned out to be a Stella Artois bottle, and he said he was going to kill me.

"He told me nurses are the ones spreading coronavirus. He said he thought I was a 'scumbag', that I was dirty, and that he was out to kill a nurse."

Ms Dawes managed to alert hospital security to Hind's behaviour and the police were called. He was arrested at the scene.

As he appeared before Nottingham Crown Court sober after a background of excessive alcohol consumption, more facts of the hospital offence were revealed and he was sentenced for his crimes.

The court heard how Ms Dawes had been walking towards the south side entrance of the hospital, when she saw Hind on the right hand side with an empty bottle.

"He stared at her", said Anthony Cheung, prosecuting.

Hind said he was born in the UK and "she had to help", saying he had a fracture, and she said she was a nurse.

But Hind started to be aggressive and made the comments about nurses.

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He told the nurse "look at you, getting nervous" and "I can tell by your swallowing" and "I'll put this glass in your face".

By now Hind had his hand in his right pocket and said the words: "This gun, this bullet is the bullet I will put in your head".

Ms Dawes did not see a gun, said Mr Cheung. She notified security and Hind was arrested. However, this was not the only crime he had committed.

His first crime, before lockdown on March 14, happened at the Fox Hotel, Valley Road, Nottingham, when Hind brought his own wine and drank it outside.

The manager asked him to leave as he was drinking his own alcohol which was against their policy.

Hind left and returned, saying things like "you're going to get it" and "I'm going to come back and torch the place".

By March 17, Hind was at the Lighthouse Charity Shop, High Street, Hucknall, where he went up to the manager and said "I'm going to smash your head in" and claimed "I know where you live".

He returned on March 23, saying "I applied for a job here" and made more threats.

On April 4 he went to a newsagents where he made racial comments.

On April 6 he became aggressive when he was refused free food at Crunch Munch in Carrington Street, Nottingham, and said "I will smash your face in and you are not going to be safe round here".

Later that day he threw chips at two people in George Street, Nottingham. Hind attempted to kick one of them but the man grabbed his leg and he fell over. Hind said he was "going to glass" the man and had a bottle held high. The man managed to disarm him and took the bottle out of his hand.

Hind also repeatedly went to an address asking for "Barbara" and became aggressive towards a man there. Judge Timothy Spencer QC - who sentenced Hind - said he had made the man's life a misery.

Hind, who has previous offences for repeated shoplifting, was represented by Bianca Brasoveanu who spoke of "his excessive alcohol consumption".

"When sober, he is deeply ashamed of his behaviour under the influence of alcohol".

Hind has been remanded in custody since April 8 and this "is the longest term on remand he has spent in a while", she explained over a live link.

Hind, 34, had been living in Foxgrove, Nottingham. He appeared on a video link at the virtual hearing from HMP Nottingham.

Ms Brasoveanu asked that any term of imprisonment be suspended so he can benefit from support from the probation service and mental health liaison team.

His overall sentence was 15 months in prison, suspended for two years.

The judge said Hind had been assisted by the mental health services and "you are not mentally ill" and "you may have some sort of personality disorder".

And he told him: "You continue to be such a dysfunctional member of society and so regularly is really, really disturbing".

Hind was sentenced for Public Order Acts offences; assault by beating; racially aggravated harassment; threatening a person with an offensive weapon; harassment without violence.

He was ordered not to go within 100 metres of the Lighthouse Charity Shop; the Fox Hotel, Valley Road; not to contact directly or indirectly the man he harassed and not to go to his address.