Former Dundee and Arbroath footballer John Carling has been jailed after breaching the peace and swearing at staff who were attempting to treat the drunk ex-player at Ninewells Hospital.
Carling, 39, of Gardner Street, Dundee, was jailed for 10 months by Sheriff Tom Hughes after admitting behaving in a threatening and abusive manner at the A&E department on November 15.
He further admitted stealing items of clothing from Primark in the Overgate Shopping Centre, on January 12, while on bail.
He had sentence deferred until June 9 for a third offence of stealing a webcam from Curry’s, Kingsway Retail Park, on December 27.
It is the second time he has been sent to prison in the past two years after he was jailed for taking a knife into a Dundee fast food restaurant while drunk in 2013.
He had also breached bail conditions not to consume alcohol after a “spectacular fall from grace”.
Depute fiscal Laura Bruce told the court Carling had been taken by ambulance to A&E after threatening to jump from a window at his home address.
“At the hospital there were discussions about him between paramedics and medical staff and when doctors entered his bay by pulling aside the curtain, he started to shout at them.”
“He … was asked to leave by staff.
“Police were contacted. However, the accused left prior to their arrival and was traced nearby.”
Solicitor George Donnelly told the court Carling had been drinking and his mental health had been badly affected by that.
He asked for a non-custodial disposal to allow his client to continue therapy and to stay off alcohol.
Sheriff Hughes told Carling: “This is completely and utterly unacceptable behaviour. Staff at A&E have such a hard job and the last thing they need is the disruption you caused.
“You have reached the end of the line with this behaviour and the courts will show that is not acceptable.”