A paramedic who fabricated his involvement in the Manchester Arena terror attack has been removed from the medical register. Yannek Benson's CV falsely stated that he was on duty during the attack on May 22, 2017, which killed 22 people. He claimed the experience 'taught me a lot about keeping my cool', but he was actually completing his degree at the time and was not a registered paramedic.
Misconduct Allegations
The Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service (HCPTS) found numerous misconduct allegations against Benson. His CV included the claim: 'I'm a very hard worker, I'm used to working in high stress situations and maintaining a level head. I was part of the response team sent to the Manchester bombings as a paramedic which taught me a lot about keeping my cool despite having stressful events occurring.' A colleague, referred to as Colleague 11, testified that Benson made a similar false claim during an informal discussion in June 2019.
Additional Violations
The panel also found that Benson lied about working for the West Midlands Ambulance Service between 2015 and 2018, put patients at risk by working consecutive 12-hour shifts without rest, drove at speeds over 100mph without emergency lights, disclosed confidential information about a colleague under investigation, and administered medication inappropriately.
In a letter to the panel, Benson, who did not attend the hearing, said he stopped working as a paramedic in 2020 and had 'fully moved on from clinical practice'. He accepted responsibility for 'clinical errors in judgement' but denied dishonesty.
Struck Off
The HCPTS panel ruled that Benson, who worked for Milton Keynes-based Acute Ambulance & Medical Services, was guilty of serious misconduct and ordered his removal from the register. They stated that fellow paramedics would find his false claims about the Manchester attack 'deplorable, given the significance of the incident and its wider impact on the profession'. The panel concluded that Benson 'breached a number of fundamental tenets of the profession, committed repeated clinical failings and demonstrated a pattern of dishonest behaviour for the purpose of personal gain.'
