Women who bashed paramedic avoid jail despite mandatory six-month sentences
A PARAMEDIC who suffered career-ending injuries when two women viciously bashed him as he tried to treat a patient is “appalled” they have avoided jail.
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A PARAMEDIC who suffered career-ending injuries when two women viciously bashed him as he tried to treat a patient is “appalled” they have avoided jail.
Paul Judd fought back tears as County Court judge Barbara Cotterell said it “would achieve little” sending Amanda Warren, 31, and Caris Underwood, 20, to prison.
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“I’m appalled and distressed by the decision of the court,” Mr Judd said outside court.
“I just feel that justice hasn’t been done.”
Warren and Underwood, both drunk, punched and kicked Mr Judd, breaking his foot, as he and another paramedic attended to a patient in Reservoir in April 2016.
Warren also ripped Mr Judd’s gold necklace from his neck during the attack, then got behind the wheel of a car and rammed the ambulance vehicle.
The pair are understood to be among the first to be charged since the government introduced six-month mandatory sentences in 2014 for thugs who attack emergency service workers.
In December, Magistrate Lance Martin ignored the women’s pleas to not send them to jail, sentencing Warren to eight months behind bars, while Underwood was given four months.
Mr Martin described the attack as “unprovoked and very vicious”.
But the women, who both pleaded guilty to intentionally cause injury to an emergency worker, were released back into the community as they launched an appeal.
Judge Cotterell, hearing the appeal, said special considerations including the women's young age and troubled childhoods meant the six-month mandatory sentencing did not apply.
“They’ve both completely changed their lives in the two years since the offending,” Judge Cotterell said, acknowledging their past drug, alcohol and mental health problems.
She handed Warren a 14-day sentence of time already served on remand and a three-year community correction order with 150 hours of unpaid community work.
Underwood was placed on a two-year CCO with 50 hours of unpaid community work.
In emotional scenes inside court, Mr Judd wiped away tears and was comforted by his colleagues as Judge Cotterell apologised to him.
“I wish that there was more I could do for you. I know that you are suffering and feel that a great injustice has been done. I can see that on your face,” she said.
“I’m really sorry that I can see that you are really badly affected.”
Outside court, Mr Judd said letting the women walk meant mandatory six-month sentences introduced to deter attacks on emergency service workers were “pointless”.
“It doesn’t make sense,” he said.
“Mandatory should mean mandatory.”
He said to use drugs, alcohol and mental health “as an excuse is the easy way out”.
“It leaves the door open for everybody to have an excuse to do what they want with no repercussions,” Mr Judd said.
“People need to take responsibility for what they do.”
The court heard the pair were remorseful, yet Warren could not face the media outside court, running from cameras.
At an earlier court appearance, she even gave the media the bird.
Underwood managed to murmur that she was sorry as she left the court.
Pressed as to which part she was sorry for, she said: “All of it.”