Addict who punched paramedic is jailed

A THUG who battered a female paramedic as she tried to help him is the first to be jailed under new tougher sentences for attacks on emergency service workers.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard Keith Winning, 57, called 999 after getting drunk and taking crack cocaine.

When paramedics Karen Rowland and Denika O’Brien arrived at the property in Waterlooville, Hants, Winning grabbed Mrs Rowland, 55, and punched her in the face and chest before ripping her shirt.

He tried to kick her but Ms O’Brien blocked him, getting punched herself.

Judge Roger Hetherington said it was one of the “worst examples” of such attacks and jailed him for nine months under the 2018 Assaults On Emergency Service Workers Act.

Threatened

When the paramedics arrived, Winning had threatened to kill his mother.

Mrs Rowland called police but then Winning launched his attack. Prosecutor Martyn Booth said the paramedics locked themselves in their ambulance.

Ms O’Brien said: “All I wanted to do was to make sure no one got hurt and it ended up with us being the victims.” Winning, who has 25 convictions for 53 offences, admitted assault by beating of an emergency worker and common assault of another.

Mark Roberts, clinical operations manager at South Central Ambulance Service said: “Staff are there to help people and should never have to suffer abuse.”

Mitigating, Edward Hollingsworth said his client has an unstable personality disorder.

“He himself had called the emergency services, a cry for help which turned very ugly.”