A man who launched a violent attack on an ambulance crew responding to a call in south-east London has avoided jail, and given what the ambulance service describe as a “disproportionately low sentence”.
Seiitbek Erkin Uulu, who was being treated by paramedics in Rotherhithe last summer, became aggressive and ended up smashing the windscreen of the ambulance and throwing bricks at the crew inside.
Emergency Medical Technician Harvey Jenkins and paramedic Tom Pursey were called to the housing estate to help Uulu, but as they checked him over, he grew increasingly distressed and began searching for his bike.
Harvey said: “My crewmate got out to help him look for it but then I heard the emergency button go off and I knew he was in trouble. The patient was chasing him and threatening him.”
The crew got into the front of the ambulance to escape, but Uulu jumped on the bonnet, punching and stamping on the windscreen until he broke through it.
“We were in disbelief and got into the back of the ambulance to get away,” said Harvey. “It felt like a horror film as it went quiet but then suddenly he was punching the windows and throwing bricks and concrete trying to hit us. The attack just went on and on.”
One of the bricks hit Harvey, though he was not seriously injured. The two were also left covered in broken glass.
Police arrived shortly after a colleague responded in a separate vehicle with blue lights. Uulu fled the scene but was caught and arrested. He pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker, criminal damage, and being drunk and disorderly in public.
At Croydon Magistrates’ Court last month, he was sentenced to 150 hours of community service, fined £114, and ordered to abstain from alcohol for four months.
London Ambulance Service’s Chief Paramedic, Pauline Cranmer, described the attack as “deeply disturbing and sustained,” adding: “The level of violence meant an ambulance needed to be taken off the road for repair. Sentences should reflect the impact crimes like this have – not just on our crews but the impact on our patients.”
Jason Killens, incoming Chief Executive of the London Ambulance Service and Chair of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), criticised the sentence.
“Yet again we see a severe and prolonged attack result in what can only be described, on the basis of the facts publicly available, as a disproportionately low sentence,” he said.
“This appalling behaviour has a major long-term impact on the health and wellbeing of ambulance people, but the situation appears to be getting worse, with low rates of conviction and weak sentences issued to offenders who do not see them as a serious deterrent.”
The London Ambulance Service has since rolled out a number of safety measures, including in-vehicle cameras, panic buttons, and electronic tracking to help police respond quickly when crews are in danger. It also set up a dedicated Violence Reduction Unit – the first of its kind in the country.
Despite the ordeal, Harvey, 25, says he remains committed to the job. “These things happen and I suppose it just makes you more vigilant,” he said. “But it doesn’t take away from everything I love about the job… It’s in those moments that you can make a significant difference to our patients’ lives.”
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