Man jailed after killing father-of-two by pushing him in front of ambulance

A man who killed a father by pushing him into the path of an ambulance responding to an emergency call has been jailed for six years.

Lewis Budge, 22, assaulted Robert Bromell and pushed him on to the road and into the vehicle’s path at the Corran Esplanade in Oban on September 6, 2023.

Mr Bromell, 39, was hit by the ambulance and was so severely injured that he died the following day at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, Renfrewshire.

Budge was originally charged with murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of culpable homicide in a hearing at the High Court in Glasgow in January.

He was jailed for six years when he returned to the court for sentencing on Tuesday.

The court heard the ambulance had its blue lights on but was not using its sirens, and that Budge and Mr Bromell could not see the vehicle because of parked cars.

Sentencing, Lord Arthurson said Budge gave no thought to the surrounding area.

He said: “You deliberately pushed your victim, using both hands, into the roadway and into the path of the ambulance.”

He told Budge: “In due course you will undoubtedly complete your sentence and return home to your family and friends. Mr Bromell, your victim, will do none of this.

“Mr Bromell’s sons and his whole family will be deprived of his role in their lives.

“The terrible consequences of your crime against him are generational and no punishment will ever remedy that awful, dismal truth.”

The judge said the ambulance driver reacted quickly but could not avoid hitting Mr Bromell, who suffered “unsurvivable” injuries.

The court heard the ambulance was travelling at around 36-39mph at the time.

Brian McConnachie KC, representing Budge, said the defendant was “deeply remorseful” about what happened and recognised its impact on Mr Bromell’s family.

He said: “This is a case in which the level of violence was, considering what we see in these courts, relatively slight, it’s not even a punch, certainly there’s no weapon used, but the consequences were catastrophic.”

He added: “This was not a premediated act but it was a reckless one.”

Mr McConnachie said Budge has been assessed as being at a “minimum” risk of reoffending.

The family of Mr Bromell, who was known as Hogan to family and friends, previously paid tribute to him in a statement released through Police Scotland following his death.

They said the father-of-two was never seen “without a smile on his face and a little joke to tell”, and they remembered his “cheeky smile and funny character”.

The family added: “It is a devastating loss and he will be missed by everyone that knew him.”