** UK man first jailed under new Assaults on Emergency Workers Act for attacking female paramedic pair
UNITED KINGDOM NEWS
** A Portsmouth man, convicted of attacking a pair of female paramedics last year, is the first person to be jailed under a new law aimed at stemming assaults on emergency personnel. That is the word from The Metro (Georgia Diebelius/January 13) which said Keith Winning, 57, who was drunk and high on crack at the time, was given nine months incarceration under the new Assaults on Emergency Workers Act passed on November 10th. According to the newspaper, he set upon practitioners Karen Rowland, 55, and Denika O’Brien when they responded to a call to help him. Winning punched Rowland first and knocked her to the ground. She sustained blows to her face and chest, as well as a ripped shirt. Her partner was also punched. Both medics then took refuge inside their locked ambulance. The presiding judge said the attack was appalling and was one of the worst of its type. Winning’s lawyer, meanwhile, said his client has a personality disorder and was embarrassed by his actions.
