A British man with a fetish for surgical masks and gowns has become the first person to be banned from every hospital in England and Wales, the British government said Wednesday.
Unemployed Norman Hutchins, 53, has harassed and abused medical staff more than 40 times since January in his quest for surgical masks and gowns, a court in the northern city of York was told.
The court banned him from all private and state-run National Health Service hospitals and doctors’ and dentists’ offices.
Hutchins tried to obtain medical items by feigning illness, or claiming to need them for a costume or an amateur play, the Times newspaper reported.
“(He has) caused harassment, alarm and distress to NHS staff when attempting to obtain gowns and surgical masks in person or on the phone,” an NHS spokesman said in a statement.
More than 30 local health organizations banned him with civil injunctions, but Hutchins kept moving to new areas.
Hutchins’ lawyer Harry Bayman said his client “was not a well man,” but accepted the court’s decision.
If he needs medical treatment, Hutchins will be allowed to visit hospitals or doctors under strictly controlled conditions or with prior written consent.