Paramedic sexually assaulted in back of ambulance after 999 call

A paramedic has spoken out after she was sexually assaulted by a patient while responding to a 999 call.  

The assault occurred in the back of an ambulance outside Southmead Hospital in September.

The paramedic from South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust said: "I do my job because I want to help people in their time of need.

"I did not expect to be verbally abused, sexually assaulted, and threatened by someone I was trying to help," she added.

"Nobody should be made to feel unsafe at work."

Mikhail Artiukhin, who placed the call, has now been jailed for 16 weeks for sexually assaulting the emergency worker, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Artiukhin, from Russia, was sentenced on 2 October at Bristol Magistrates' Court and will remain on the sex offenders register for seven years.

The paramedic said that she has “never been treated so poorly by a patient before” and she now feels “uncomfortable and “unsafe” working in ambulances.

A spokesperson for the ambulance service said: “The behaviour of this individual was totally unacceptable. Our people should be able to work without fear of violence, sexual violence, or threats of any kind.

“We will not hesitate to robustly deal with those who make a conscious decision to abuse our people who dedicate their lives to helping others.”