Patient Timothy Clarke waved a six-inch blade at deputy ward manager Steven Charles and told him he would kill him, a court heard.

However, chairman of the bench Christopher Hoarer refused to pay compensation to the nurse.

He said: "We are not ordering compensation because to a certain extent the risk goes with the parish."

Colleagues and nursing leaders have reacted with fury at the remarks.

The comments come just days after one survey showed that nearly 50% of nurses had been physically attacked in the last year and another revealed that 70% of nurses feel safer walking the streets than they do on hospital wards.

Corridor encounter

The incident happened at the Graylingwell psychiatric hospital, in Chichester, West Sussex, where Mr Charles works and Clarke was an inpatient, the court heard.

Mr Charles encountered Clarke carrying the knife in a corridor and was threatened, but the confrontation ended peacefully and Mr Charles was uninjured.

Clarke, 36, a former nurse, admitted using threatening behaviour when he appeared at Chichester Magistrates' Court.

He was given an 18-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £70 costs.

Angry reaction

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said the issue of compensation was of minor importance - it was the magistrate's attitude that was shocking.

"Nurses should not have to face violence as part of their everyday work," a spokeswoman said.

"Only yesterday the RCN launched a campaign with the backing of Health Secretary Frank Dobson to stamp out violence.

"This magistrate has said just the wrong thing."

The magistrates' decision has angered staff at Chichester Priority Care Services NHS Trust, which runs Graylingwell Hospital.

Chief executive Miss Frances Russell, spoke after the case on behalf of Mr Charles and all the nurses at the hospital.

She said: "To state that the risk goes with the parish is to deny NHS staff the entitlement to feel they can go about their daily work free from the threat of violence and intimidation.

"If incidents occur then staff deserve and should expect the full support of the courts.