Leominster man sent to prison for assault on emergency worker

[Hereford Voice]

A 45 year old man from Leominster has been convicted of assaulting a paramedic.

William Stevens from West Street, Leominster, was sentenced at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 1 May to twenty weeks for assaulting an emergency worker, four weeks for racially abusing an emergency worker and 2 weeks for criminal damage.

Stevens was arrested on 1 December 2019 after paramedics and police officers attended the property (which contains several flats) following concerns for the safety of one of the residents. While at the address, Stevens grabbed the paramedic by their throat and punched them in the face. He further racially abused a detention officer whilst in Hereford custody.

Chief Inspector Ross Jones said

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This case shows that people who assault officers or paramedics will be arrested, investigated and put before the court. West Mercia Police will not tolerate attacks on emergency service personnel and I welcome the prison sentence handed down.

Assistant Chief Ambulance Officer, Nathan Hudson, said: 

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No-one should ever get injured because they were assaulted at work, yet that is exactly what happened in this case.  What is particularly appalling is that the paramedic was there to help a patient in need but got attacked while trying to do so.

All too often, ambulance staff who have been assaulted feel let down by the judicial system, so I am pleased that the Magistrate took such a tough stance on this occasion. We know the public are outraged every time something like this happens, so hopefully such tough action will be replicated by other courts and also serve as a warning; we will always push for those who attack our staff to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.