Eastbourne teenager jailed for assaulting staff at Conquest Hospital

A teenage woman has been jailed for a total of 10 months for assaulting a hospital worker and two police officers and racially abusing a security guard at the Conquest Hospital, St Leonards on 21 April 2025.

Courtney Stewart, 19, of Willingdon Road, Eastbourne, was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on 17 February after earlier pleading guilty to three counts of assault by beating and a charge of using racially aggravated behaviour to cause alarm and distress.

Sussex Police supports Operation Cavell, a national partnership between police forces, the NHS and the Crown Prosecution Service designed to increase prosecutions and protect healthcare workers who face violence or abuse in the course of their duties, sending a clear message that such behaviour will not be tolerated.

Violence or aggression towards NHS staff is a serious offence, not part of the job. All frontline workers deserve to carry out their vital roles without fear of injury, abuse or harassment.

Sergeant Kieron Bracey said: “Thank you to the staff involved for their courage in reporting this incident. I want to reassure all NHS colleagues that we will continue to act robustly against anyone who assaults or abuses them.”