West Midlands paramedic assaulted in ambulance parking row
A West Midlands paramedic was assaulted during an argument over a parking space as an ambulance crew battled the snowy conditions.
The crew was on an emergency call in Sparkhill, Birmingham, at 11.30am on Friday, when they reported they were threatened because they had parked parallel to a car, although they were not blocking the road.
Paramedic Tasha Starkey tweeted about the incident and revealed that her crew mate was assaulted by a man.
A 49-year-old man arrested on suspicion of common assault and a public order offence was given a caution.
Ms Starkey criticised the decision to caution the man and said she was "extremely upset, disappointed and let down by this outcome".
Today West Midlands Police Superintendent Paul Minor said: "We take any assault on blue light services workers very seriously. When we received a call from ambulance colleagues reporting this matter we responded quickly and arrested the man responsible.
"In interview, he admitted being verbally aggressive and striking one of the paramedic’s arms."
He added: "The man had no previous convictions and in this case a police caution was deemed the most appropriate outcome.
"However, a caution is not a ‘let off’ or a slap on the wrist. Cautions are legitimate criminal justice outcomes, with real sanctions attached, and have long-term implications, such as notification on pre-employment checks."
