A DRUNK Halesowen man who caused major disruption at Russells Hall Hospital after telling police he had left a bomb on the premises has been locked up for two years.

Norman Taylor also went to the hospital and reported to a support worker that he had explosives in a hold-all he was carrying, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

The building had to be put into lock-down, patients were moved, ambulances had to be redirected to other hospitals in the area and a specialist police unit was put on stand-by, said Laura Culley prosecuting.

She said the 43-year-old, who was on bail at the time after producing two handguns, was detained by security staff having turned to alcohol after a series of family tragedies.

“The bomb hoax was not a deliberately malicious act,” said Lennart Poulson, defending. “It was the result of temporary psychosis resulting from his alcohol intoxication.”

Judge James Burbidge QC told Taylor, of Spiral Close, Shell Corner, his actions were all caused by drunken hallucinations.

“You knew you had a problem with alcohol and you should have addressed it but you allowed it to take over your life,” added the Judge.

Miss Culley said that after reporting he had explosives in his hold-all, Taylor pulled out a screwdriver and ran off as hospital staff quickly put into place emergency measures.

He had already told police officers he had left a bomb at the hospital, she went on, having given them his correct name and telephone number.

She said Taylor had been bailed after putting a handgun on the dashboard of a taxi in Wolverhampton. The vehicle drove to a garage and Taylor got out leaving behind the weapon.

But he then produced a second handgun which he showed to a motorist at the filling station before armed police arrived on the scene and after he was arrested two other imitation guns were recovered. None of the guns was capable of being fired.

Taylor – described as now being ‘dry’ after his alcohol problems – admitted four charges of possessing an imitation firearm and two of making a malicious communication.

The judge told him the offences were far too serious for anything other than an immediate custodial sentence.