A man with a "sexual fetish" for medical equipment who has made a nuisance of himself at hospitals and dental practices across the country failed in a bid to have his sentence cut last night.

Norman Hutchins, 54, of Rowntree Avenue, Clifton, York, pleaded guilty at York Crown Court in May to threatening behaviour, possession of a bladed article and obtaining property by deception. He was given a three-year jail term. He also received an anti-social behavour (Asbo) order banning him from any medical establishment without prior notification.

Yesterday, Hutchins, who has a personality disorder but no psychiatric condition, challenged that punishment at the Court of Appeal, in London.

Three judges were told the sentence was too long and the Asbo an unnecessary additional punishment.

But Mr Justice Treacy, sitting with Lord Justice Laws and Sir John Alliott dismissed the appeal as "unarguable".

He said at the time of the offences Hutchins was in breach of an earlier civil injunction. He said some of the incidents had occurred while he was on bail and said the Asbo would protect members of the medical community from his unwanted attentions.

The court heard Hutchins had to be removed from York District Hospital in January last year by a security officer, but returned soon afterwards and threatened the man with a 12-inch knife and shouted and swore at him.

Later in 2004, he was arrested in York and, when officers searched the police van he had been in, they found a dinner knife.

Hutchins was released on bail, and went on to obtain property by deception.

He phoned dental practices in Belgravia, New Cross, Nottingham and Dundee and asked for masks and other equipment to be sent to him, telling staff he was organising a fancy dress walk for a seriously ill child or putting on an amateur dramatics production.

In Darlington, he physically and verbally abused staff at the town's Memorial Hospital and had to be removed by police.

When he was arrested in Middlesbrough, he was found to be carrying a knife.

Mr Justice Treacy said Hutchins, who has convictions dating back to 1970, had a "sexual fetish" for medical equipment and, when attempts had been made to treat his mental condition in the past, had displayed his perversion and had been unwilling to co-operate with staff.