Paramedic accosted by man after drunk nurse rejects help

Paramedics rushed to the scene of an emergency only to find the casualty was a nurse who was too embarrassed to be taken to hospital because she was drunk.

In the confusion that followed, one of the crew members was accosted by an onlooker who felt he hadn’t done enough for the ‘ill’ woman.

Lee Conner (25) of Glen Avenue, Larkhall, admitted assaulting, obstructing or hindering paramedic Kevin O’hara by pulling him by the arm and acting aggressively at a house in the town’s Riverside Road on January 20.

Wendy Mcadam, prosecuting, said the crew had dashed to the aid of a woman who had reported breathing difficulties.

She told Hamilton Sheriff Court: “There were numerous persons in the house, including the accused, all of whom were intoxicated. The female refused medical treatment and the ambulance crew returned to their vehicle.

“Conner became aggressive towards one of the paramedics, who had returned to the house to take a note of the woman’s date of birth.

“He grabbed him by the arm and shouted at him. The paramedic’s colleague could see Conner continuing to pull Mr O’hara by the arm and, fearing for his safety, pressed an emergency button to alert the police.

“Mr O’hara managed to get away from the accused and the crew waited until the police arrived.”

Defence agent Luke O’curry pointed out his client hadn’t been in trouble since the age of 15. His behaviour on this occasion was wrong, but had to be seen in context.

Six months previously, his mum had been taken to hospital with pneumonia and it was discovered she had cancer, from which she died.

Mr O’curry said: “What happened here was the woman asked for an ambulance because she had developed pneumonia and was having breathing difficulties.

“Then she decided she did not require to go to hospital, recognising she was intoxicated and, as a staff nurse, would be embarrassed by that

“The paramedic made the right decision that no further treatment was required, but the process was lost on my client and others, who believed he had not performed his function properly.”

However, Sheriff Allan Mckay told Conner: “You do not lay hands on emergency workers. You have no training, no professional insight whatsoever and no right to interfere.

“A custodial sentence was at the front of my mind, but given your lack of previous convictions, I’ll defer for good behaviour.

“You need to get your act together and show me this was an aberration.”

Conner was warned he better have a clean report when he returns to court in November.