Man jailed for spitting at paramedic and assaulting NHS staff after calling 999 'for a lift home'
A "dangerous" and "entitled" man who spat at a paramedic and assaulted them after calling 999 to try to get a lift home, has been jailed.
Christian Monreal, who is 28, sat outside a supermarket in Atherstone in Warwickshire on April 13 and called 999, claiming that he'd been stabbed.
Emergency services attended, expecting a crime scene - but on arrival found Monreal had not, in fact, been stabbed.
He then told them he'd rung the emergency number simply because he wanted a lift home.
When he was told that this wouldn't be happening, he walked round to the driver's side of the ambulance and spat on the paramedic.
Monreal was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker. The criminal was found with cannabis, and later damaged his cell and again spat at a custody officer.
On April 23rd, Monreal was discharged from the George Eliot Hospital after completing some treatment - but he refused to leave and security was called when he began to be aggressive towards staff.
Security guards escorted him off the site, whilst he "proceeded to be verbally abusive."
He then flicked a lit cigarette at one of the guards, burning her neck.
Monreal appeared before Warwick Crown Court on October 11, and was sentenced to six months in prison.
PC Pearson from Warwickshire Police said Monreal "clearly" had "issues that [he] must work through," describing him as "a danger to others."
They added that "the fact that Monreal feels he is entitled to abuse police staff, paramedics and NHS staff is seriously concerning," and said that his sentence "serves as a warning to others. They said:
"Attack the people who work day and night to keep you safe and you will be locked up."
George Eliot Hospital’s chief operating officer Robin Snead said:
"Our staff work incredibly hard to look after people who need our care.
"We will not accept them being abused or assaulted and will always work with the police to seek prosecution for those who perpetrate these disgraceful attacks."
A spokesperson for West Midlands Ambulance Service said:
"Ambulance staff come to work to care for others in their time of need, yet all too often they are greeted by violence and abuse.
"Assaults on ambulance staff, whether it be physical or verbal, are not okay and we welcome the sentencing.
"We hope that it opens people’s eyes to the impact that abuse has on staff as well as reinforcing the message that abusive behaviour of any form is totally unacceptable."
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