Man admits sending abusive emails to nurse

Saturday 23 September 2023

A 28-year-old man who sent 20 abusive emails to a hospital nurse, leaving her distressed and unable to concentrate at work, has been put on probation for a year

Adam Jeffrey Palmer sent the messages on 18 March this year while drunk, the Magistrate’s Court was told.

The content of the messages was not disclosed in court but St Helier Centenier Danny Scaife, prosecuting, said: "There has been an impact on the victim.

"She has struggled to think clearly. It has made it difficult for her to focus."

When interviewed, Palmer told police he was an alcoholic.

"He said he couldn’t remember sending the messages and he became a different person when he was drunk," the Centenier said.

Palmer pleaded guilty to sending messages of a grossly offensive nature.

Advocate Mark Boothman, defending, said Palmer had been "shocked and appalled" by the messages he sent.

The defence advocate added that Palmer "accepts that his behaviour was totally unacceptable".

He added that Palmer also suffered from severe social anxiety and said: "Coupled with drinking, that makes a difficult situation worse.

"Mr Palmer is absolutely adamant that he needs to rid himself of his dependency on alcohol."

Advocate Boothman said Palmer was due to move into rehabilitation centre Silkworth Lodge next month.

Relief Magistrate Sarah Fitz said the messages had been "very unpleasant" but accepted that Palmer had apologised and was now taking action to change his behaviour, so imposed the probation order.

She told him: "It would seem that this is the right time for you to get a grip on your alcohol issues. We hope not to see you again in this Court."