Charity ambulance driver cleared over 102mph mercy dash
Volunteer’s anger as bosses fail to give him any backing
AN AMBULANCE driver fearing the sack for clocking 102mph on a life-saving mercy dash was cleared by a court yesterday.
Johnny Kerr was caught by a camera in a 70mph zone on an emergency run for the Glasgowbased Scottish Emergency Rider Volunteer Service.
The Scottish Ambulance Service trainee worked voluntarily for the charity and was gutted when they didn’t contest his prosecution.
After a trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, the 29-year-old said he had been “thrown under a bus” by ScotsERVS.
A trial heard how Kerr, of Paisley, had volunteered to take a vital piece of equipment to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary to save a dying patient.
The extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine can sustain the life of someone whose heart and lungs are failing and the only device available was in London.
ScotsERVS – who provide a rapid delivery service for NHS Scotland – were asked to deliver it by 9am next day.
The first leg, from London, was completed and Kerr drove the second leg from Castlecary Arches, near Glasgow.
Kerr travelled with fellow volunteer Craig Halley, 32, in the passenger seat of a Skoda Altera fitted with blue lights.
When Kerr was flashed doing 102mph on the A90 Dundee to
Aberdeen road at Fordoun, Halley said they should call it in.
But Halley told the court: “Mr Kerr said there was no point as we were going to activate more on the way up the road.”
Giving evidence, Kerr said: “A surgeon had said a vital piece of equipment was needed to save a patient’s life.
“I had seen an email where the surgeon had deemed this patient was going to die if they didn’t use this equipment.
“My standard of driving is quite high and I assumed that’s why I was asked to do that leg of the journey.” He said hospital staff were grateful when they arrived and the patient was already being prepped for surgery. But when the speeding summons came in, he was given no support by ScotsERVS, who then dumped him for “gross misconduct”.
The charity refused to fill in forms which could have exempted Kerr from prosecution.
ScotsERVS station officer and trustee Sarah Cameron said rules forbid volunteers from breaking the speed limit.
Kerr said it was acceptable to break the speed limit if qualified and driving to the conditions with blue lights on.
Emergency services can apply to the Safety Camera Partnership for exemptions for speeding drivers. Kerr said: “I didn’t hear from ScotsERVS again. Then I got a letter saying I needed to attend court, so I went and pled not guilty.”
Justice Shameen Sheikh ruled there was enough evidence to conclude that Kerr’s actions had been justified.
Outside court, Kerr said: “The charity have thrown me under the bus hoping to cover up things they’ve not been allowed to do. My greatest concern was losing my job over this and that’s not going to happen now.”
A ScotsERVS spokesman said: “We complied fully with the police investigation, including the return of all paperwork. The decision whether to grant an exemption or pursue a prosecution in any case is a matter for Police Scotland.
“The matter has now been settled by the courts.”
My greatest concern was losing my job over this and that’s not going to happen JOHNNY KERR ON HIS RELIEF OVER VERDICT FOLLOWING TRIAL AT ABERDEEN SHERIFF COURT