Demonstrators gather to express fury over Jersey paramedics' guilty verdict

Hundreds of people have gathered outside Jersey's ambulance service to show their solidarity for the two paramedics they feel are the victims of a "gross injustice". Credit: ITV Channel

Hundreds of people have been gathering outside St Helier's ambulance station to demonstrate against the decision of Jurats to find two paramedics guilty of a health and safety breach after they failed to adequately care for a man in the moments before he died.

John Sutherland and Tom Le Sauteur were found guilty at Jersey's Royal Court on Wednesday (26 June).

However, islanders have criticised the result as setting a "dangerous precedent".

The two medics say they are "incredibly moved and humbled by the support of fellow frontline workers, family, friends and the public". Credit: ITV Channel

Dr Kirstie Ross, who works at the General Hospital, said it was a "gross case of injustice".

"We're supposed to be working under a zero-tolerance policy and it feels that the outcome for this is zero tolerance with caveats.

"It means that emergency care providers [and other healthcare professionals] aren't allowed to put our safety first over the patient."

The demonstration on Friday evening (28 June) included emergency workers from across the island, as well as politicians, and friends and families of the paramedics in question.

Some say the guilty ruling sets a 'dangerous precedence' to other healthcare providers. Credit: ITV Channel

Dr Emmanuelle Midmer, who attended the gathering during her break, told ITV News: "It feels that we're a little bit less protected than we were in the role that we do.

"Our colleagues and the emergency services are under extraordinary pressures and our ambulance colleagues that have to work under incredibly difficult ways; they really do an amazing job."

Following an eight-day trial, jurats found the pair had failed to carry out their duties on a patient who died in March 2022. Credit: ITV Channel

Tom Le Sauteur and John Sutherland said in a statement that they were "humbled" by the support of islanders.

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