Wednesday, February 16, 2011

** UK medic kicked from profession after child porn conviction

** Off duty Texas medic duo credited with saving marathon runner’s life

UNITED KINGDOM NEWS

** A Lincolnshire paramedic has been struck off after being convicted of downloading child porn. This is Lincolnshire (February 15) said Jason Williams, 41, pleaded guilty to making and possessing indecent photographs of children. Sentenced to a 36 month community order, as well as supervision, he is now required to register as a sex offender. Fired from the East Midlands Ambulance Service after police raided his home and found the offensive images on his computer, he told the Health Professions Council (HPC) he had not intended to access pictures of children;rather, he said he was interested in legal gay photos. Among the snaps on his computer were ones deemed level 1-4, the latter of which included youngsters involved in sexual acts with adults. As a result of the HPC decision, Williams can never again practice as a paramedic.

UNITED STATES NEWS

** A pair of Texas paramedics is being credited with saving a marathon runner’s life, after the off duty duo assisted in resuscitating a man during a New Orleans race they were also running. The American-Statesman (Tony Plohetski/February 14) said the Sunday incident played out as Austin-Travis County EMS practitioners Gerry Moreau and George Gibbons were nearing mile 15 of the Rock’n’Roll Mardi Gras Marathon. Noticing a crowd gathering around a collapsed runner, the two began doing compressions on the 54-year-old man until city EMS arrived. After a bystander nurse assisted them, New Orleans medics took over and Moreau and Gibbons resumed the race. Once at the finish line, waiting providers informed them the patient–Waterloo, Indiana native James McKinnon–had survived. Moreau later told reporters the chance to aid McKinnon was the best part of his weekend.