Cancer patient allegedly assaulted after denying man a cigarette
A cancer patient has allegedly been assaulted outside a Sydney hospital after denying a passerby's request for a cigarette.
Police say the cancer patient, a 35-year-old man, left the hospital grounds where he is undergoing treatment to take a break outside about 10.15am on Friday.
The alleged assault took place outside the hospital complex on Victoria Street, Darlinghurst.Credit:Kate Geraghty
While he was sitting outside the hospital, on Victoria Street, another man approached him and asked for a cigarette.
The patient denied the man's request, which is when police allege the man grabbed the patient's arm and threw him to the ground. The man then allegedly punched the patient multiple times in the stomach.
"The assault continued as the man grabbed hold of the patient’s IV tubes and ripped them out before repeatedly kicking him in the stomach," a NSW Police statement said.
A nurse who witnessed the incident yelled at the man to stop, and he left the area after nearby doctors and nurses came to the patient's aid.
The patient suffered internal injuries and is being treated at St Vincent's Hospital.
Police officers from the Kings Cross Area Command later found the man in Green Park, across the road from the hospital, and arrested him after a brief struggle.
He was taken to Kings Cross police station and charged with aggravated assault with the intention to rob and use corporate violence, assault occasioning bodily harm, and resisting arrest.
He was refused bail and is due to appear in Parramatta Local Court on Saturday.
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