A mum from Warrington whose life spiralled out of control after her marriage broke up and her cleaning business folded has now found herself behind bars.
Liverpool Crown Court heard how Dominika Coyne had got to the age of 41 before she acquired any criminal convictions and her barrister Cheryl Mottram told a judge about her sad fall from grace.
Coyne had to sell the matrimonial home and move into private accommodation but the breakdown of her marriage combined with the Covid lockdown resulted in her life getting out of control.
After her first convictions for criminal damage, five assault offences and possessing Class A drugs she lost her accommodation and son, who moved in with his dad, said Miss Mottram.
“The loss of the care of her son added an extra layer of pressure on her well-being and mental health.”
She “bounced around” from hostel to hostel but could not settle and “her behaviour spiralled out of control,” said Miss Mottram.
She was given a 21-month prison sentence suspended for two years last July and in September received a 16-week suspended sentence for criminal damage, battery, possessing a bladed article and malicious communication.
Coyne, formerly of Warrington, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court via video link from prison for sentencing after admitting racially aggravated harassment, burglary at Warrington Hospital and possessing a bladed article. She admitted breaching the two suspended prison sentences.
David Watson, prosecuting, said that on October 14 last year Egerton Grizzle, a volunteer porter at a hostel, James Lee House in Warrington, was monitoring the CCTV at about 1 am.
He saw Coyle open the fire exit five times, activating the alarm, and he asked her not to do it again as she had previously been spoken to by other staff about such behaviour.
Coyne reacted aggressively, shouting loudly and causing him to fear for his safety.
“As Mr Grizzle turned to leave, the defendant shouted at him ‘you cheeky black c**t”. “Mr Grizzle said ‘I heard that’ but left the scene to avoid further inflaming the situation.
“He was left feeling greatly upset by the incident and reduced to tears, against a background of having suffered racist abuse, he later stated, for the whole of his life,” said Mr Watson.
The police were called and arrested Coyne and she said she had closed the door but did not realise it would set the alarm off. She said she had been angry and did use racist language but disputed the exact words used.
In an impact statement, Mr Grizzle stated, “As a result of this crime I felt dirty inside because of what that woman said to me. It has not affected my life as I have continued to live the life that I choose, I will not let it stop me from doing what I love.
“I will not let anyone intimidate me, no one has the right to speak to me the way I was spoken to that day and I hope I never am again.”
Mr Watson said that on December 20 while on bail for that offence staff at Warrington Hospital saw Coyne walking around the hospital, “behaving suspiciously and trying doors”.
She entered a dedicated training room between 3 am and 6 am. This was a restricted room that was not open to the public nor patients, and is located in a normally secure corridor which had been. left unlocked, he said.
The defendant, who was not a patient, was then seen leaving the room wearing a nurse’s uniform and also wearing stolen hospital lanyards taken from the training room.
The security operations manager at the hospital was informed Coyne had tied the room shut with string and evidence was found of someone sleeping there.
At around 5.30 pm, Coyne returned to the hospital claiming to need to see a doctor for a toothache, and that she was a volunteer cleaner – though the hospital has no volunteer cleaners.
Police attended but Coyne had left. However, she returned at 11.35 pm and was found in a restricted area, still wearing the stolen and lanyards. She had a set of master keys for various doors in the hospital, a staff stethoscope and some hospital paperwork with her.
After her arrest, she was found to have a craft knife in her rucksack.
“No physical damage to Hospital property was caused by the Defendants actions. A small Christmas tree and a mug stolen by the defendant remain outstanding,” said Mr Watson.
When interviewed Coyne said she went to the hospital to stay warm but repeatedly asserted she was a volunteer cleaner.
Miss Mottram told the court that Coyne said she had found the knife in the hospital. and kept it “as she thought it might become useful to her as she was living on the streets”.
“It is a very sad and sorry state of affairs that she has found herself in this situation, particularly for someone who has worked very hard for most of her life.
Jailing her for a total of 23 months the judge, Recorder Michael Armstrong said, “It is a most unusual case”. She had stayed out of trouble until 40 years of age and then started on a downward spiral of criminal activity.”
