52-year-old Stephan Hincu pled guilty before his court hearing at South Cumbria Magistrates Court and was sentenced to do 100 hours of unpaid work. He also has to pay £200 court costs and a £95 victim surcharge.
Hincu of Harrison Street, Barrow was intoxicated when the incident happened on 22nd June, on Greengate Street in Barrow. He had been lying in the street, and a member of the public had called for an ambulance to help him.
Paramedic Libbie says, “I was shocked when it happened. He was drunk but didn’t seem threatening; I thought he was trying to shake my hand when he reached out to grab me.
“I’m thankful for my crewmates around me at the time who stepped in to defend me and also the support of my colleagues who helped me report it and encouraged me to go through with the prosecution. I was prepared to brush it off as just something that happened, but I am pleased to see some justice has been served.
“I hope me speaking about it will encourage others to do the same even though they might feel ‘what’s the point’. I just wonder about the number of people who get away with doing this just because their victims are reluctant to speak to the police.”
“It’s definitely made me more cautious around my patients, and I have my guard up a lot more than I did before. It’s not how I want to behave when I go to help people, but I just don’t want to be in that situation again!”
Sector Manager Rick Shaw says, “I would echo the words of the magistrate in the case who said this is completely unacceptable behaviour. Our staff should be free to go about the job of helping people without the fear they’re going to be attacked. It can cause long-lasting damage both mentally and physically.
“I’m delighted that Libbie has seen some justice in the case. We support all our staff to pursue prosecutions in these instances.”