TWO allegations of men being raped were reported in Colchester Hospital in fewer than three months, the Gazette can reveal.
New figures have also revealed 34 people made claims of being assaulted in the hospital's grounds between April 1 and June 30.
In total, 70 crimes were recorded at the site off Turner Road in the short timeframe, with almost half of those amounting to allegations of assault.
A Freedom of Information request submitted by the Gazette to Essex Police reveals criminal damage and theft were among the other more frequent crimes.
Chief executive of East Suffolk and North NHS Foundation Trust Nick Hulme stated he takes a zero-tolerance approach to crime on his site when approached by our reporter.
The figures reveal two allegations of a man being raped were made, but Essex Police deemed the matters as “not in the public interest to take any further action”.
READ MORE >> Plans revealed for axe and knife throwing venue to open in Colchester warehouse
A man also reported being sexually assaulted at the hospital.
The police force, however, stated it is unable to provide data on arrests made as people arrested are not always charged for the same offence.
There were 16 incidents of alleged common assault, with a further 17 variations of assault including attacks on paramedics and police officers.
Reacting to the figures, Mr Hulme said the hospital trust will always look to prosecute people committing crimes where possible.
“We have a zero-tolerance approach towards any kind of crime or violence at ESNEFT,” he said.
“We strongly encourage colleagues across the trust to report any incidents and we work closely with our partners, including the police, to protect and care for all our patients, visitors and staff.
“We will always attempt to prosecute anyone who wilfully commits a crime in our hospitals and grounds, while understanding in some cases they may occur because of a medical or clinical reason.”
Other crimes reported at the site include one report of a person threatening to kill someone, while five incidents of theft were reported.
One person alleged they had been kidnapped, but this case was dropped as the suspect identified was determined to be “too ill” to prosecute.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel