The attacker claimed to be plagued by demons.
(File photo) The woman was left with horrific injuries. (Image: Getty)
An NHS worker has been left with life-changing injuries after being attacked by a man who claimed to be plagued by demons. The 44-year-old clinical support worker was assaulted on a psychiatric ward at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, Scotland, where Robert Muirhead was under a medical detention order.
On May 15 last year, Muirhead, 43, began acting erratically while a clinical support worker and a female colleague were conducting observations on him. Prosecutor Rachel Wallace said he wanted to talk about maths and nuclear warfare, and when the victim said she was not knowledgeable on these subjects, he punched her.
The incident occurred at Forth Valley Royal Hospital. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
She said: “Around 1.30pm, he approached the women and asked to have a conversation about mathematics and nuclear warfare. His victim advised him that it would have to be a short conversation as she was not very knowledgeable about it.
“Without warning, he punched her to the left side of her face, which caused her to fall to the ground. He then turned slowly and walked back to his original seated position.”
The support worker had “a lot of blood coming from her face”, Ms Wallace said, and was taken to A&E with an orbital fracture, muscle damage, and lacerations to her left eye.
The orbital fracture was surgically repaired, and she received stitches to her left eyebrow, below her left eye, and the top of her nose.
Her eye was pushed 2mm towards her skull, leaving it looking different from the right one. She also sustained two broken teeth and has been left with scarring across her face, paralysis to the left side of her top lip, cheek and nostril, and lost vision.
Muirhead pleaded guilty at Falkirk Sheriff Court on Friday to assaulting his victim to her severe injury, permanent disfigurement, and permanent impairment. He also admitted to lesser assaults on two other ward staff on May 11 and 13, 2025.
Solicitor Paul Cook, defending, said: “He suffers from hearing voices in his head, demons as he describes them.”
He was jailed for 27 months after the court ruled that despite his mental state he knew what he was doing. Sheriff Craig Harris ordered him to be supervised by social workers for 12 months after his release.
He said: “The first two assaults caused injury, thankfully relatively minor but still no doubt significant for those who were impacted. The final assault caused severe facial injuries to the complainer.
“She required surgery. She has been left with her eye displaced and now has a visible difference between her eyes. She has been left with scarring on her face and paralysis. She has lost some vision and now speaks with a lisp.”