A MUM whose life ‘spiralled out of control’ broke into a hospital, impersonating a worker in a nurse’s uniform and stole a Christmas tree, after racially abusing a hostel worker at her living accommodation.

Dominika Coyne was living at James Lee House in Warrington when the initial incident occurred, the court heard.

Coyne, 41, appeared before Liverpool Crown Court via video link on Tuesday facing charges of one count of racially aggravated harassment, one count of burglary and another of possession of a bladed article, all of which she pleaded guilty to.

Prosecuting, David Watson said the incident occurred on October 14 last year, when the victim, a volunteer at James Lee House, noticed on CCTV that Coyne had been opening and shutting the fire door, activating the fire alarm.

When the victim approached the defendant and asked her not to continue doing this, he was met with a barrage of abuse in which Coyne shouted at him and used a racial slur to further offend the victim.

He then left the situation to avoid it escalating any further.

Mr Watson spoke of how the incident upset the victim, saying ‘he was reduced to tears’ and explaining to the court that he had ‘suffered racist abuse’ all his life.

In a victim statement that was read out to the court, he said: “As a result of this crime, I felt dirty inside.”

“I have never been spoken to like that before.

“The incident has left me feeling anxious and I have started smoking as a result of that.”

“No-one has the right to speak to me as I was spoken to that day.” 

Mr Watson said how after the defendant had been released on bail for the offence, in December 20, Coyne was arrested again after she was found to have broken into Warrington Hospital and stolen items belonging to the premises.

Earlier in the day, staff at the hospital were alerted to her ‘suspicious’ behaviour, with Coyne said to have been pacing corridors of wards and ‘trying doors’.

She then found a training room on a ward and was later seen leaving the room wearing a full nurse’s uniform and had acquired official land yards.

Coyne then tied the doors to the room up with string before she was approached by hospital manager, Miss Hunt who questioned her strange behaviour and why she was in the hospital.

The defendant told Miss Hunt she was a ‘volunteer cleaner’, a job Mr Watson stated does not exist at the hospital.

Coyne left the premises before returning that same day at approximately 5.30pm, and again later at 11.35pm, still wearing the full nurses uniform and had managed to steal a set of master keys for the building, along with a stethoscope and hospital paper work.

She again claimed she was a volunteer nurse and police were called to arrest the defendant. When they arrived, officers also found a Stanley knife on her.

It was also understood that defendant stole a christmas tree and a mug from the premises during the incident.

Coyne, who is originally from Poland and has seven previous convictions, told the police in an interview that she did not mean any harm when she entered the hospital premises.

“I went to the hospital to find somewhere to sleep as I was homeless. I found a stanley knife, I put this in my bag.

“I would not of took any of the other items.”

The defendant at the time of the incidents was in breach of two suspended sentences she had received for separate offences. One suspended custodial sentence of 21 months and another for 16 weeks.

She had also been required to complete 160 hours of unpaid work which the court heard none of which had been completed yet.

Defending, Miss Michelle Mottram said: “She has reached the age of 42 and she now has a raft of convictions.”

Miss Mottram said that prior to her turning 40 she had no criminal record and was a hard-working citizen, owning her own cleaning business and being happily married with one child and living in their marital home in Warrington.

“Things seem to have spiralled out of control for her since separating from her partner in 2017,” Miss Mottram said.

“Her cleaning business folded, and her marital home was sold.”

Miss Mottram told the court how after her first set of convictions in 2021, she then lost her accommodation where she was living with her son which meant her son was then placed in the custody of his father.

She then began ‘bouncing’ round accommodations and hostels before getting to James Lee House, where one of the most recent of incidents took place.

Miss Mottram added: “She accepts her behaviour has spiralled out of control.

“Her behaviour towards the victim lead to her being homeless in Warrington.

“It is a very sad and sorry state of affairs.”

Coyne’s defence described her lifestyle over the past few years as ‘chaotic’ but said that having been on remand since February has been a ‘blessing’ to her, adding that it has allowed her to ‘deal with her demons’ and ‘get her life back on track’.

“She knows her son is suffering with this at the moment. It is very much her hope that she will be able to re-build that relationship with him.”

Concluding, Recorder Michael Armstrong said, “It is most unusual that someone stays entirely out of trouble until their forties.”

Acknowledging the impact the abusive incident had on her victim, he added: “This offence did cause him serious alarm and stress.”

Taking into account the activation of the defendant’s former suspended sentences and applying additional sentences for the current offences, Mr Armstrong handed Coyne a total of 23 months in custody.

Addressing her directly, he said: “It is very important that you move on from here.”