TWO paramedics convicted of a health and safety breach for failing to provide adequate care to a patient who later died have today received a conditional discharge.
John Sutherland (61) and Tom Le Sauteur (36) were found guilty following a Royal Court trial of not taking “reasonable care” of the 39-year-old patient.
The court heard that the man had become aggressive and said that he didn’t want their care, and then entered a cycle of being “violent and aggressive” and then calming down.
There had been various delays in care as the paramedics waited for police back-up to arrive and while both the police and medical team put on PPE.
The man later died of cardiac and respiratory arrest while he was in the care of the paramedics.
The conviction sparked a fierce backlash, with some medical professionals saying it set a dangerous precedent.
Yesterday in court, Jurats sentenced the pair to a two-year conditional discharge, meaning they will receive no punishment unless they commit another offence during that time period.
They were also each ordered to pay £500 costs.
Supporters of the paramedics gathered outside in the Royal Square this morning ahead of the sentencing.
A fundraiser launched to support the pair has raised almost £50,000.
Full coverage of the case in Wednesday’s JEP.
