A DISTRAUGHT husband who raged against staff at the Alexandra Hospital over the death of his wife has been conditionally discharged for 12 months.

Redditch magistrates yesterday found Haydon Price, 40, guilty of using threatening and abusive behaviour.

Father-of-two Price, 40, was arrested after he went into the management offices at the hospital on June 13.

Price, formerly of Dormston and now living in Astwood Bank, told the magistrates his wife, Jan, went into hospital last year with a stomach complaint. He said she was given an overdose of pethidine and later died.

He also told the bench Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust had since accepted responsibility for the death and that he had taped a meeting between himself and director of medicine Charles Ashton, where Mr Ashton confirmed the hospital was responsible.

Price said it was promised steps would be taken to improve what he described as the "appalling standards" of nursing which had led to his wife's death.

Witnesses told how Price went into the office of litigation officer Jane Clavey and screamed at her.

They said he tipped over her desk and then kicked it.

He also screamed 'You killed my wife' at Mrs Clavey and people in an outer office.

Price claimed he accidentally tipped the desk through frustration when he asked Mrs Cavey why people weren't listening to him and why he could not make an appointment to talk to her.

In a previous phone call to Alison Hill, a personal assistant at the trust, Price told her how frustrated he was getting because he felt no-one was listening to him.

Miss Hill said: "He said that the gloves were now off and he felt like murdering someone - he said he wondered what he had to do to get someone to listen."

In a statement to Redditch police, Price said: "I thought, if I wasn't a Christian person I could almost go and kill someone, but I wouldn't.

"If I had a shotgun I could go in there and blast everyone away who killed my wife. Do I have to kill someone to get the wrong that was done recognised?"

Defending Price, Sarbjit Boora said: "All Mr Price wanted was answers and for this to never happen again to anybody else's loved one.

"He never entered the building with any intention of causing people alarm or distress."

This was refuted by Edward Soulsby, prosecuting, who said he believed Price had gone to the offices with that intention because of the frustration and upset he was feeling over his wife's death.