A man who attacked a paramedic with a claw hammer, leaving the victim fearing for his life, has been jailed for 16 months. James Chandler, 49, from St Pauls in Bristol, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing and was sentenced on July 16 at Bristol Crown Court.
Attack during emergency call
The incident occurred on May 28 when an ambulance crew from the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) attended a property in Bristol to provide emergency care. The court heard that Chandler became aggressive while two paramedics were responding to an emergency call to help him. He targeted one paramedic at close range with a claw hammer, which narrowly missed the victim's head.
The ambulance crew fled for their safety and activated an emergency alert, SWASFT said in a statement. Avon and Somerset Police arrested Chandler, who was later charged with assaulting an emergency worker and threatening with an offensive weapon.
Sentencing and impact
During the sentencing, Judge Mr Justice Picton said: "Understandably, you caused your victim great fear. He thought he was at risk of losing his life." Chandler will serve at least 40% of his 16-month sentence before potential release.
The attacked paramedic said in a statement: "Nobody should feel unsafe while carrying out their job, particularly when working in a caring profession. Sadly, we are often verbally abused, but thankfully physical abuse is less common, though it still happens. I hope this shocking footage and successful prosecution sends a clear message that violence and abuse towards emergency workers will not be tolerated."
Ambulance service response
Mike Jones, Crime & Violence Reduction manager at SWASFT, said: "This was an appalling and genuinely life-threatening attack on ambulance staff. The paramedic involved was deliberately targeted with a claw hammer at extremely close range which could very easily have resulted in a fatality. Our staff come to work to provide care and treatment to patients. They should be able to do so without fear of violence, abuse or intimidation. We are seeing, far too often, that healthcare workers are being exposed to extreme violence simply for doing their jobs. This cannot, and will not, be tolerated."
SWASFT stated they continue to work closely with police and partner organisations across the South West to reduce violence and aggression towards healthcare staff and to support those affected by such incidents.
