Man pleads guilty to assaulting paramedic

Gary Boyd (31), of Ballyfore Gardens, Newtownabbey, appeared at Coleraine Magistrates Court on Friday and admitted charges of assaulting an ambulance worker and being disorderly at Ballybogey Road near Portrush.

A defence lawyer said his client has a relevant record and asked for the case to be adjourned until the end of January to allow a pre-sentence report to be prepared.

The incident happened on July 3 this year and further details of the incident have yet to be outlined to the court.

However, at the time, it was reported the paramedic was punched in the head and bitten at 3:30am at Ballybogey Road.

A Northern Ireland Ambulance Service spokesman said in July: “The patient had sustained a head injury and the crew treated him before he lashed out in the back of the ambulance, pulling equipment and dressings from their storage points

“In attempting to restrain the patient, a paramedic received a punch to the head and was bitten on the arm. The patient was eventually subdued and taken to Causeway Hospital for treatment.

“The paramedic was also assessed at the Emergency Department and was then ‘stood down’ for the remainder of the shift, leaving the Ballycastle area dependent upon neighbouring stations to provide cover.

“This is the latest in a series of attacks on ambulance staff and the Trust again calls for strongest possible action to be taken against anyone found guilty of assaulting ambulance crews.”