A PATIENT suffering from arthritis barricaded a doctor in his surgery and threatened to harm him when he did not get his prescription for painkillers.

Dr Usman Hanif was imprisoned in his consultation room for 15 minutes and subjected to racist verbal abuse by Ray Thompson, Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday.

Prosecutor Laura McBride told the court that Dr Hanif was holding a phone consultation with another patient, at Shipley Medical Practice in Alexandra Road, when 48-year-old Thompson banged on his door and barged in. He demanded his medication and became angry and aggressive. Dr Hanif tried to pacify him, but Thompson threatened him.

He pushed the examination couch and chairs against the door, preventing anyone from entering or the doctor from leaving.

Dr Hanif agreed to print out the prescription, but Thompson made racist comments. He pulled the furniture away from the door and marched out of the surgery after the doctor gave him the prescription.

Miss McBride said the defendant then went to a pharmacy, put two chairs against the public entrance and went behind the counter.

He was given the arthritis painkillers, Celebrex, as well as methadone.

Thompson, of Wycliffe Gardens, Saltaire, was arrested an hour later. He pleaded guilty to false imprisonment.

Miss McBride said Dr Hanif had never met the defendant or had dealings with him before. The doctor was left angry that his privacy had been invaded and he had been physically threatened.

Thompson's solicitor advocate, Andrew Walker, said his client suffered a serious injury to his left leg, which led to his arthritis, in the mid-1990s when his car was struck by a joyrider and an articulated lorry. It was thought his leg would be amputated. It had been saved but he spent two years being treated in Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Mr Walker said that since that time the defendant had been almost continually involved with GPs and hospital specialists without any difficulties. But he had reached his pain threshold and had not received the help he felt he required.

Jailing Thompson for three years, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC told him: "This gentleman was a public servant and you held him hostage.

"You threatened him with violence and have previous convictions for the same offence, and you aggravated the situation by racially abusing that gentleman.

"That doctor and his employees were very frightened. You treated him very badly because you put your own needs before any respect for that gentleman."