A triple amputee branded the “neighbour and patient from hell” has been jailed after a string of violent and vile offences – including defecating in a police van.
Alan Goffin, known as Wyness, admitted a “serious catalogue of offending”, including violence and abuse directed towards his partner, neighbours, police and hospital staff.
The 46-year-old, who has had to have all but one limb amputated due to a medical condition, assaulted and threatened to stab his girlfriend and neighbour and abused doctors and nurses at ARI.
At one point he even defecated in a police van and threatened to throw the faeces at anyone who came near him.
Fiscal depute Jennifer Pritchard told Aberdeen Sheriff Court that, in the first of the offences, around 5pm on July 16 2020, Wyness’ partner came home to find him “irate” and holding a knife and an argument began.
Ms Pritchard said: “The accused was shouting at her, accusing her of being with an ex-partner and cheating on him.”
The row continued for several hours with Wyness pointing the knife at his partner and threatening to stab her, as well as harming himself.
At 11.20pm, the woman finally managed to get the knife from him.
Holding broken plate to his neck
In another incident on July 23 2020, Wyness, who was a patient at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary at the time, caused a disturbance because he was “unhappy with his lunch order”.
Medical staff heard a loud bang from his room and found Wyness “lying on the floor, his lunch plate smashed on the ground and his juice and food all over the floor”.
Staff picked up the broken bits of plate and helped Wyness back into his bed.
Wyness then shouted: “You think you’ve got it all but you f***ing haven’t.”
He was seen to be holding large piece of broken plate to his neck and threatening to harm himself.
Police attended and took Wyness to Kittybrewster station, but a nurse there deemed him unfit to be kept in custody due to having reopened an old wound on his leg.
He was then returned to ARI but refused to leave the police van, forcing one of the officers to go inside to seek assistance.
Ms Pritchard said: “The accused stated he needed the toilet and was informed he would have to wait until the other officer returned in order to assist him out of the van.
Verbal abuse at grandmother
“The accused raised one leg and defecated in the rear of the police van. demanding that an officer clean it up.
“The accused threatened to throw the faeces at any person or medical staff who attempted to enter the rear of the van to remove him.”
He later returned to the ward.
In relation to that incident, Wyness pled guilty to two charges of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
In another incident, at an address in Portlethen on June 23 2021, a woman went outside to fetch her granddaughter but saw Wyness sitting in his wheelchair outside.
He shouted: “Looking at you makes me f***ing sick.”
She ignored him and returned inside, but Wyness continued to shout, adding: “F***ing wrinkly old prune-faced b****.”
‘Google me. You obviously dinnae ken who I am’
The matter was later reported to police.
Two days later another neighbour of Wyness’ decided to go to his garden to confront him about “recent issues”.
An argument ensued and Wyness swung his right arm at her, striking her to the head with a clenched fist.
Wyness admitted charges of assault to injury and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner over that incident.
In a further incident, on August 26 2021, another neighbour of Wyness’ was at home when he heard him “ranting and raving and swearing repeatedly”.
After being asked not to swear, Wyness shouted that he would “stab and batter” the man, adding: “Google me. You obviously dinnae ken who I am.”
Wyness also made a “cutthroat gesture” at him.
And on October 21 2021 in Portlethen, Wyness punched his partner in the face during a row about him accusing her of being unfaithful.
He then punched her again to the nose, causing it to bleed down her shirt.
Wyness pled guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner and assault to injury.
In another separate case, Wyness flew into rage when his partner returned home at 1.15am on February 16 2021 and assaulted her.
He pushed her, grabbed her hair and brandished a radiator-mounted towel rail at her.
He admitted a charge of assault.
‘He can be the neighbour from hell’
Defence agent Mike Monro said his client was already serving a separate prison sentence.
He described his client’s relationship with his partner as “love-hate” and said it was “aggressive both ways”.
He went on: “The complete hell for him will be when he becomes a quadruple amputee, and that will happen.”
Mr Monro explained the amputations had come about not as a result of drugs or drink, but through diabetes.
The lawyer explained Wyness has in the past had mental issues and drug issues but overcome them to keep out of trouble for long periods.
He said: “This accused can be someone who causes no difficulties to anyone – he can thereafter be the neighbour from hell as has been seen by his neighbours.
‘It is an appalling series of offences’
“He’s also a patient from hell in that he has behaved in a way which would be unacceptable anywhere, but has been made even more unacceptable in a hospital environment and, if it can be made even worse, during Covid.”
Mr Monro went on: “He can be totally obnoxious to hospital staff, neighbours, to the court, to the staff at GEOAmey, the prison staff and even to myself, but then the other thing is he can sit and take on board what’s being said as best he can.”
He added Wyness “apologises” for his behaviour.
Sheriff Andrew Miller told Wyness, of Sunnyside Drive, Portlethen, that he was “responsible for a serious catalogue of offending”.
He added: “It includes repeated incidents of violence and disorder involving neighbours, your partner, the police and medical staff at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
“This even happened at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when staff would have had a high demand on their resources.
“It is an appalling series of offences involving violent conduct that shows a disregard for those you came into contact with.
“Having regard to the nature and no of these offences, only further sentences of imprisonment are appropriate.”
Sheriff Miller sentenced Wyness to an additional 12 months in prison to run consecutive to his current sentence of imprisonment.
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