Peter Thistlethwaite: Paramedic claims ‘carrying out duties’ in sexual touching trial

A paramedic conceded he sent emoji messages to patients, asked one out and even gave a massage. However, he denied sexually touching nine women under his care across Sydney.

A paramedic accused of sexually touching nine women under his care at train stations across Sydney claims he was just “carrying out his duties” as a paramedic and flatly denies removing the underwear of one alleged victim.

Peter John Thistlethwaite, 40, was working as a first aid paramedic for a private company called Safety Australia Group when the alleged offences took place between November 2018 and July 2019.

His duties included working at train stations across Sydney and offering first aid to patrons.

Peter Thistlethwaite. Picture: Adam Yip

It is alleged he sexually touched nine women – aged between 17 and 28 – while conducting bogus medical checks including touching their pubic areas and placing a stethoscope on their breasts.

During his trial in the NSW District Court, a jury heard that many of the alleged victims suffered from illnesses such as dizziness and fainting and Thistlethwaite went “beyond the normal scope of paramedical practice” in his treatment.

The jury heard on Wednesday that on one occasion he allegedly told a victim he was checking for appendicitis and ovarian tumours while touching the alleged victim close to her vagina.

Crown prosecutor Stephen Barlow claimed that after the check he commented on a scar on the woman’s leg, which she remarked she suffered as a child and had kept secret.

Peter Thistlethwaite (centre) outside court. Picture: Adam Yip

The Crown prosecutor alleged Thistlethwaite then responded: “you are naughty, are you worried I will spank you on the butt”.

Mr Barlow also alleged just a few days later, Thistlethwaite pulled down the underwear of a 25-year-old patient without her consent, exposing her vagina inside a first aid room at Redfern Train Station.

He then allegedly touched her around the groin area including the inner thigh.

Thistlethwaite’s defence lawyer Stephen Russell made his opening submissions on Wednesday and denied his client ever pulled down the pants and underwear of a patient.

“It certainly will be that he did not pull their pants down below their buttocks or vagina or anything of that kind.”

He told the jury that his client was “carrying out his duties” as a paramedic by checking heart rates and assessing abnormalities in the abdomen region of some of the patients.

He conceded that his client had offered to personally drop some of the patients home, sent messages to patients with emojis, asked one of the alleged victim’s out for coffee, and even massaged a patient.

However, he told the jury this was “not a court of morals” and the crux of the case was to determine whether his client had sexually touched any of the complainants.

“What did he do if anything to these women which amounts to sexual touching? That is the important thing.”

He claimed there were many contradictions in the evidence and the police investigation itself was “dodgy”.

Thistlethwaite has pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of aggravated sexual touching and one count of aggravated indecent assault. His trial is expected to run for four to six weeks.

The trial is continuing.