Jail time for man convicted of bashing paramedic

A Maclean man will spend Christmas behind bars after he was sentenced for assaulting a paramedic who was trying to keep him alive on his way to hospital

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 05 2020:NSW Ambulance Services in Sydney Australia, on OCTOBER 05 2020. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

A Maclean man will spend the next two months in jail after he was sentenced for assaulting a NSW Ambulance paramedic while he was being transported to hospital after a drug overdose.

Dennis Adrian Currie appeared in Grafton Local Court on Tuesday where he plead guilty to common assault.

According to police facts, at about 2.10am on Saturday November 28 this year NSW Ambulance received a triple-0 call about a 22-year-old male who had overdosed on antidepressants.

Two paramedics arrived at a Cameron St address in Maclean about 2.42am, and police arrived a few minutes later.

Court documents state that Currie was found lying on a bed in the garage with eyes closed and arms folded over his head. After a short conversation with the victim Currie agreed to voluntarily travel to hospital to be monitored and speak with mental health professionals.

As Currie climbed into the back of the ambulance seat belts were secured over him as he lay on the stretcher for safety purposes.

The court heard that Currie started to verbally lash out at the victim, shouting "don't f------ touch me". Police heard the outburst, then the paramedic assuring Currie that his vital signs would need to be checked during the trip to hospital so he would have to be touched.

During the trip to Grafton Base Hospital the agreed facts state that Currie again yelled out "don't f------ touch me" twice whenever the paramedic would attempt to check his vital signs.

About 3.40am as the ambulance neared the hospital Currie shouted that to "stop this thing I want to go for a piss" and unclipped his seatbelt. Currie stood up in the ambulance with his fists clenched and shouted "stop this f------ ambulance" before swinging a number of punches to the head of the paramedic. The pair had a short wrestle, and Currie was eventually subdued by the victim and the second paramedic in the ambulance.

Magistrate Kathy Crittenden convicted Currie and sentenced him to two months behind bars to date from November 28.

In Grafton Local Court on Tuesday Currie was also convicted of three unrelated charges of contravening a prohibition/restriction in an AVO and stalk/intimidate intend fear of physical harm and sentenced to a community correction order for 12 months.

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