Man fighting for life after alleged horror hammer attack by woman while in Sydney hospital bed
- The man allegedly attacked with a hammer
- He was a patient at the Royal Prince Alfred hospital
A will dispute may have been the cause of an alleged hammer attack that left a man fighting for his life in a Sydney hospital, according to police sources.
Viki Graham, 46, is accused of hitting the 63-year-old man as he slept in the ward of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown at 12.15pm on Thursday.
Graham was arrested at the scene and taken to Newtown Police Station where he was charged with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and refused bail.
He is expected to appear in court on Thursday. It appears that the man and the woman know each other.
Police sources told the Daily Telegraph that investigators were investigating whether the alleged attack was linked to a recent death in the man’s family, including a dispute over a will.
Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) Chief Executive Deb Willcox said the woman approached staff without incident before the alleged assault.
‘I found out that the staff spoke to the person who came to the ward and as far as I know there was no problem,’ he said.
‘This was a conversation between that person and the staff and they went to the patient’s bedside.’
A patient at Royal Prince Alfred hospital was allegedly attacked by a woman with a hammer in the early hours of Thursday (stock image)
Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) Chief Executive Deb Willcox (pictured) said hospital staff were ‘very fond’ of the patient
It was claimed that the person was seriously injured by being hit on the head with a hammer during the incident. HE He is fighting for his life in intensive care.
Ms Willcox said hospital staff tried to contact loved ones after the ‘horrible incident’.
‘He stayed with us for quite a long time and is a really lovely person in every respect who the staff love very much,’ he said.
Ms Willcox said the shock was not something she had experienced before and was ‘distressing’ for hospital staff.
‘They did an outstanding job. “You don’t come to work and expect something like this, but the training they receive is very effective,” he said.
‘They are so talented and such good people they knew exactly what to do.
‘We see people in all kinds of extreme situations. ‘There is no doubt this was a very serious incident and not one I have ever been a part of before.’
No other patients were injured but Ms Willcox admitted some people were ‘a bit confused and distressed by the events’.
The patient in the intensive care unit is in critical condition (stock image)
Hospital staff said anonymously Sydney Morning Herald The woman had questions about how she got into the man’s ward.
‘This is extremely disturbing,’ one doctor said.
‘In all my years of working here, I’ve never heard of anything like this (happening) here.’
Visitors are not allowed into general wards after 8pm but Ms Willcox said it was a ‘very large and busy hospital’.
‘Our hospitals are open buildings. These are open to the public. “The doors of our emergency department are open seven days a week, 24 hours a day, throughout the night,” he said.
‘There are standard visiting hours but this is a very large and busy hospital.’
In a statement to the Daily Mail, a spokesperson for SLHD confirmed that the hospital was assisting police with their investigations.
Staff who witnessed this harrowing incident were also given access to an employee assistance program that provided them with the opportunity to obtain confidential information.
