A sexaganarian Indian-origin para-medic, who brutally thrashed by a patient in the Palms West Hospital in Florida, US, and may permanently lose her eyesight due to the severity of her wounds.
67-year-old Leelamma Lal was attacked by a psychiatric patient in the hospital and was admitted to intensive care unit. The accused, 33-year-old Stephen Scantlebury, has been charged with attempted second-degree murder and faces a hate crime punishment. He has been taken into police custody. According to a statement by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, a team was dispatched to the scene, following which they determined that the male patient committed “aggravated battery” against the nurse. This left her critically injured and with a broken face.
Witnesses told deputies that accused Scantlebury was in a hospital bed on the third floor when he suddenly jumped up on the bed and charged towards Lal, hitting her repeatedly with his fists and fracturing every bone in her face. Lal was subsequently admitted to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach with a bleeding brain and was reported to be in a stable condition. However, she may suffer from permanent blindness, reports suggest.
Stephen Scantlebury, born on April 30, 1991, fled from the hospital after the incident but was later arrested and charged with attempted murder and hate crime.
Sheriff’s Sergeant Beth Newcomb revealed the accused confessing: “Indians are bad. I just beat the s*** out of an Indian doctor,” as per The Palm Beach Post. The accused was presented in court on Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty.
Hate crime enhancements, if proven, can result in harsher penalties upon conviction. They highlight the motive behind the defendant’s actions and their broader impact on the community, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Cindy Joseph, Lal’s daughter, said her mother will need surgery to repair her facial injuries and faces weeks of hospitalisation. “This is gonna forever change the rest of her future and she’s 67. She has, with her health, a good at least 20 plus years left and she shouldn’t have to spend them the way she’s gonna have to spend them,” she was quoted as saying by CBS News.
Joseph later said she was “really disappointed with the system” and said the incident was preventable. “My mom’s been working there for more than 20 years; she’s devoted her entire career to the hospital. The fact that this happened at a health care facility which should have proper security is beyond me,” she added.
