A 52 year old man has been jailed for kicking an ambulance paramedic with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service in the head while he received medical treatment. The incident occurred at around 7.30pm on Monday 2nd February when an ambulance crew responded to reports of an unconscious man at Guildhall Square in Londonderry.
The PSNI arrested the man at the scene following the assault and he was held in Strand Road PSNI Station overnight, and then appeared before the magistrates’ court this morning. The man who is from the Waterside admitted assaulting the paramedic, causing criminal damage to an ambulance and disorderly behaviour.
The court heard the paramedic was said to have been treating the casualty when the man came to and lashed out. He kicked the paramedic in the head, causing him to sustain a graze and stiffness in his neck. The man continued to lash out at the paramedic, who ran towards his ambulance in a bid to put the vehicle between them.
It is understood members of the public who witnessed the incident assisted the paramedic by distracting the man to enable the paramedic to leave the scene.
The accused that has 184 previous criminal convictions had gone to court on Monday morning to pay a fine, however, when he found the building closed, he went to the pub and started drinking. Solicitor for the accused said his client did not remember his collapse or kicking the paramedic.
District Judge Barney McElholm said assaults on paramedics would never be tolerated by the courts and jailed him for eight months.
