Man punched St John Ambulance volunteer while receiving first aid in Southampton

A man who punched a St John Ambulance volunteer who was giving him first aid has been jailed.

Harry White of no fixed address, was being treated for a medical episode during a night out in Southampton at around 2am on Saturday, 29 October.

When the 21-year-old woke up, he punched one of the volunteers, a man in his 30s, in the side of his head. He then left the ambulance and punched the vehicle twice.

After a short pursuit during which he resisted arrest he was detained by officers.

White appeared at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on Monday 31 October where he pleaded guilty to assault by beating of an emergency worker and was sentenced to four weeks in prison.

Inspector Charlie Ilderton, of the Southampton Central Neighbourhoods Policing Team, said: “Assaulting an emergency worker - particularly when they are trying to help you – is totally unacceptable.

“St John Ambulance is one of our key partners for keeping people safe in our clubs, bars and other venues at the weekends and their staff work incredibly hard in sometimes difficult conditions.

“I hope this result shows that we will take all reports of assault seriously and will take swift and decisive action to make sure those responsible face justice.”

Craig Harman, Director of Health and Volunteering Operations at St John Ambulance said:"It is completely unacceptable for our volunteers to experience any form of physical abuse or violence.

"They give so much of their time helping to care for our communities and should never, in any circumstance, have to fear being attacked while helping others.

"While the majority of our patients, and members of public, do not behave in this way, we are committed to working with the police to support our people and take a zero-tolerance approach to anyone behaving badly towards them.

"We're very proud of the care our volunteers provide the Southampton community, and we are working closely with the team to support them and their safety."

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