Paramedic is struck off after sex with 999 caller

A MIDLAND paramedic has been struck off for having sex with a vulnerable patient after he answered a 999 call at her home.

The Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service (HCPTS) conducted a hearing over the actions of Trevor Finnerty.

The hearing concluded that the exWest Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) employee, from Nuneaton, who had a 30-year career in the emergency services, had sex with the woman, who has not been identified.

Mr Finnerty claimed he was “blackmailed” and duped into having sex with her.

But the hearing was told he had later texted the woman, saying “this is u friendly ambulance service, how was u service”. The woman then called the police.

The panel was told that the patient had “serious mental health issues” and on the night of the incident, Finnerty was working alone on a rapid response vehicle.

In a statement to police, Mr Finnerty said the woman had invited him into her bedroom during his visit.

He said he had refused but she then “threatened to tell his boss that he had done it anyway”, so he agreed to her demands “out of fear”.

However, he also described the encounter to police as “quite erotic”.

The panel refuted claims by Finnerty that he had not been supported by his line manager at the time and dismissed his claims that the blame lay with others.

In his written submission, he said that he regarded himself as the primary victim of the incident.

He also said he had sought counselling and had kept himself busy with church activities.

But the panel said it was a “clear and compelling case of a deplorable breach of professional boundaries that fell well below the standard that was to be expected of a paramedic in the performance of his professional duties”.

The panel found him unfit to practise and struck him off the register with immediate effect.