Judge criticised for freeing man who injured paramedics

♦ An ambulance service boss has hit out at a judge after he freed a patient who attacked two paramedics, leaving one with a broken wrist.

Anthony Marsh, chief executive of West Midlands Ambulance Service, said he was “almost lost for words” after Adam George James was given a 14-month suspended sentence at Birmingham Crown Court.

James, 23, from Wigan, Greater Manchester, was ordered to carry out 150 hours of community service and pay a victim surcharge after admitting the assaults.

One paramedic had her wrist broken and another suffered cuts and bruising after being kicked by James, who was found unconscious in Birmingham city centre.

Mr Marsh urged the Attorney General to review the sentence, and said: “This warranted a custodial sentence.”

Amy Holtom, the paramedic who suffered a broken wrist, said: “This shows how little the courts think of us.”