A DRUNKEN dad had to be physically restrained after "kicking off" in the accident and emergency department at Blackburn Royal Infirmary.

Blackburn magistrates heard that one member of the security staff was punched in the face and another kicked on the knee and bitten on the hand during the violent struggle that followed.

And District Judge Paul Firth refused to rule out the possibility of a custodial sentence for Robert John Stuart McPhee when he adjourned the case for the preparation of pre-sentence reports.

McPhee, 37, of Leach Street, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to assaulting William Brown and Simon Davies. He was remanded on bail until April 23.

Clare Fanning, prosecuting, said McPhee turned up at A and E with a female and a young boy who had blood on his training shoe and who was limping. He immediately started shouting and swearing and security staff and the female tried to calm him down.

He kept shouting threats and eventually threw a punch which connected with Mr Davies. The two security staff managed to pin McPhee against a wall away from the main entrance to the hospital and continued talking to him, trying to calm him down.

He tried to head butt Mr Brown before landing a kick on his knee. A third member of the security team came to assist and the three of them managed to take McPhee to the ground.

Michael Blacklidge, defending, said it was a very unfortunate incident which had seen his client behave out of character.

He said: "It was a very regrettable and something for which he wishes to apologise to the court and to the security staff who were treated abominably by him."

He said his client was an alcoholic and had drunk the best part of a bottle of Benedictine when his son came home with a nasty wound on the back of his leg.

"He accepts that he should never have gone anywhere near the infirmary in that state," added Mr Blacklidge.