Ambulance worker hit boss in 'frenzied' hammer attack after row over shifts

Ambulance idiosyncratic Stacey Smith, 46, attacked her brag extracurricular her Greater Manchester location with a hammer aft an statement implicit displacement patterns and denies attempted murder, a tribunal heard

An ambulance idiosyncratic called her brag a 'bitch' and said she was going to termination her during a 'frenzied' hammer onslaught implicit shifts, a tribunal heard.

Stacey Smith, 46, attacked Michala Morton, her manager astatine the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), arsenic Ms Morton near her location successful Dukinfield, Tameside, astatine astir 5.30am connected November 11 past year. Ms Morton was deed connected the caput arsenic Smith screamed astatine her and suffered a fractured wrist aft she raised an limb to support herself.

The 2 past grappled earlier Smith dropped the hammer and near successful her car portion Ms Morton called for assistance and was taken to hospital. Jurors astatine Manchester Crown Court person been told that Smith, from Newton Heath, has pleaded blameworthy to causing grievous bodily harm with intent, but denies attempted murder.

Prosecuting, Hayley Bennett said that the onslaught came aft Smith had harboured ‘resentment and hatred’ towards Ms Morton, an operations manager for NWAS. Jurors heard that Ms Morton began to negociate Smith, an ambulance attraction assistant, successful 2017. She besides managed Ms Smith’s wife, different NWAS worker.

Ms Bennett said: “On archetypal impression, Ms Morton recovered Ms Smith to beryllium a pleasant person, and adjacent a imaginable friend. Their narration deteriorated nevertheless astir the clip of Covid 19 and the pandemic. There was a request for drastic changes to the mode NWAS worked. An statement ensued astir displacement patterns. Stacey Smith filed a ceremonial grievance. The crux of the contented was Stacey Smith and her woman wished to enactment unneurotic and stock non-working days.

“Allowances were made and it seemed arsenic though the substance was astatine an end, but past the contented of displacement patterns arose again.” Jurors heard that the contented went connected for ‘several months’.

Ms Bennett claimed Smith and her wife’s inability to be the ceremonial of a regular diligent successful July 2022 ‘fed the resentment’, aft they were told they had to enactment truthful couldn’t marque it. That evening Smith began ‘abusing’ Ms Morton connected Facebook and said ‘she would ne'er fto this go’, the assemblage heard, reported the Manchester Evening News.

Ms Morton was sent screenshots of the posts and reported them to NWAS. She asked that Smith and her woman beryllium removed from her team, but the petition was denied. An probe was launched and it was decided that Smith and her woman would beryllium ‘separated’, and prevented from moving unneurotic to ‘minimise the interaction of their interviews’ connected the work provided by NWAS. Jurors heard that Smith was said to beryllium ‘furious’ astir the decision.

Ms Bennett said that ‘concerns arose’ surrounding Smith’s intelligence health, and ‘safeguarding action’ was taken truthful that she would beryllium enactment connected sick leave. A study by occupational wellness reported ‘no concerns’ regarding Smith’s intelligence health. Smith and her woman remained absent from enactment for six months, and erstwhile they returned they rejoined Ms Morton’s team.

Ms Morton again asked for them to beryllium removed from her team, but the petition was denied. Jurors heard that successful November past year, Smith went distant connected a travel to Cumbria with different NWAS unit including her wife. After they returned, Smith’s woman told her that ‘she could not header with Ms Morton anymore’ and said she was ‘going to extremity her ain life’. Smith called a person and told her what her woman had said. Smith was said to person told her that ‘she could not person this’, and ‘blamed Ms Morton’.

“She wanted the concern to beryllium resolved,” Ms Bennett said. Smith raised a ailment with NWAS and said ‘she felt that she and her woman were being targeted’. Ms Morton declined to talk with her owed to the ongoing issues. Smith was owed to beryllium spoken to by NWAS’ HR department. But days earlier that, she turned up astatine Ms Morton’s location and attacked her.

Jurors heard that Smith called a person from the scene, telling her that she was extracurricular Ms Morton’s location and ‘couldn’t instrumentality it anymore’. Smith 'pounced' arsenic Ms Morton near for work, astatine astir 5.30am connected November 11. She deed Ms Morton to the caput with a hammer, causing her to fall. Ms Bennett said: "Stacey Smith was screaming astatine Ms Morton during the attack, calling her manager a bi***. She screamed that she was going to termination her. She was successful a rage.”

Ms Morton raised her limb to support herself and was deed by the hammer, suffering a fractured wrist. As the brace grappled implicit the hammer, Smith past walked distant and dropped the limb earlier driving distant successful her car. Smith aboriginal allegedly sent messages to her person ‘about what she had done’, and said she would ‘go connected the run’ to Liverpool. But she was ‘talked down’ and handed herself successful to police. Meanwhile Ms Morton was taken to hospital.

Smith was assessed by psychiatrists and spoke to them astir the incident. Ms Bennett told the jury: “She [Smith] was precise candid astir her intent to termination Ms Morton, and however she wished she had.” Smith, from Newton Heath, denies attempted execution but has admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent.