Sex pest paramedic banned after indecent treatment of babysitter

A sex pest paramedic has been banned from the profession for at least two years after asking his teen babysitter for sexual favours, stating he had “blue balls”.

A sex pest paramedic has been banned from the profession for at least two years after asking his teen babysitter to give him oral sex, stating he had “blue balls”.

Michael Alexander Galloway was jailed in October 2020 after pleading guilty to two counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16 and one count each of permitting premises to be used for the commission of a crime (possess cannabis) and attempted indecent treatment of a child under 16.

Cairns Supreme Court sentenced him to 12 months jail suspended after three months.

Galloway told the babysitter he had “blue balls” Picture: Heidi Petith

The Health Ombudsman also referred Galloway to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal for disciplinary action.

It heard on the night of the offending Galloway, then a Queensland Ambulance Service paramedic, and his then partner had gone out while two teenage babysitters looked after the woman’s children.

He was aware the babysitters were smoking cannabis, leading to the permit premises charge.

Galloway and his partner returned in the early hours and at one point he entered the bedroom where the babysitters were sleeping and asked one how the children had been.

“He was, at the time, naked and standing there masturbating,” Tribunal member, retired District Court Judge John Robertson, said in a decision published Friday.

Galloway, then 28, said his partner “was asleep and that she had given him ‘blue balls’

“The respondent asked (the girl) for oral sex,” Judge Robertson said.

Galloway offered the girl some cannabis in return for oral sex after she rejected his advances, the tribunal heard.

She again refused and asked him to leave.

He asked her whether the other babysitter would perform oral sex on and he tapped her foot, the tribunal heard.

The other babysitter was only pretending to be asleep and when she rolled over she saw Galloway continuing to masturbate. She turned away and he left the room.

Both girls then immediately left and the incident was reported to police

The tribunal heard the fact that Galloway’s conduct occurred outside his job as a paramedic did not stop it from making a finding of professional misconduct, which it did.

“They were vulnerable by virtue of their age and the circumstance of staying in the respondent’s home,” Judge Robertson said.

“There was a significant power imbalance at play, which was exploited by the respondent. “The respondent’s conduct involved a serious breach of the children’s (and their parents) trust. It had a significant detrimental impact upon them.”

Judge Robertson said Galloway‘s conduct was “entirely inconsistent” with the ethical standards expected of a paramedic.

“It was anathema to a caring profession, and undoubtedly to his professional peers,” he said.

The tribunal heard Galloway had his registration suspended by the Health Ombudsman in January 2020 and he resigned from the QAS several months later.

Judge Robertson cancelled his registration and disqualified him from reapplying for two years.