Patient in sex attack on West Midlands Ambulance Service paramedic avoids jail

Anthony Benbow, aged 52, rugby tackled the West Midlands Ambulance Service worker and groped her while he pinned her down on the floor of an ambulance, a court heard.

Judge Martin Walsh described the attack as grotesque, but said the public interest would be best served if Benbow was given a community order with treatment for alcoholism.

West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (WMAS) has described the attack as completely unacceptable.

Two female paramedics attended a property in Gough Street, Willenhall, on March 3 to assist a drunk man, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

Mr Neil Ahuja, prosecuting, said on arrival Benbow began to verbally abuse both paramedics.

"They asked if he had been drinking and he said he'd had loads," added the prosecutor. "He was extremely abusive."

The court was told that Benbow stood up in the ambulance and launched himself at his victim, groping her.

"She was shocked and pushed him away," Mr Ahuja continued. Benbow attempted to walk away from the scene but was persuaded to stay in the area by the other paramedic.

Both paramedics continued to treat Benbow, who was arrested a short time later. The court heard that the attack had a psychological effect on the victim.

In a victim impact statement read out to the court, she said: "I go to work as a paramedic to help people, not to be attacked."

The court heard that Benbow had been remanded in custody for the previous 10 weeks. He admitted sexual assault.

Mr Gurdeep Garcha, defending, said Benbow, of Cannock Road, Wolverhampton, had been horrified by his crime and that he felt 'very real remorse'.

Judge Walsh said such conduct passed the custody threshold and that an attack such as this upon a paramedic would normally justify an immediate sentence of custody.

But he said he felt able to pass a community order with conditions only because Benbow had been remanded in custody since the commission of the offence.

Steve Elliker, WMAS regional head of security and safety, said: "It is completely unacceptable that ambulance staff, who are responding to help people in their hour of need, should have to face violence, verbal or sexual abuse.

"The Trust has a zero tolerance policy in place and works extremely hard to bring the full weight of the law to bear on anyone who attacks our staff. Whilst attacks on ambulance staff are relatively rare, even one attack is one too many."

Benbow was given a three-year supervision order with 60 days of rehabilitation and was placed on the sex offenders register for five years.