Man jailed for sexually assaulting paramedic
The incident happened outside Southmead Hospital in Bristol
A man, who's a Russian national, has been jailed for 16 weeks for sexually assaulting a paramedic outside Southmead Hospital in Bristol.
The assault happened last month - when the female paramedic, who can't be named for legal reasons, and a crew member were responding to a 999 call.
We're told the sexual assault happened in the back of an ambulance outside Southmead Hospital on Friday 29 September.
Mikhail Artiukhin was sentenced last Monday (2 October) at Bristol Magistrates Court for sexual assault against an emergency worker from the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT).
Artiukhin, who was working in merchant shipping, was arrested at the scene of the incident and was then held on remand before appearing at Bristol Magistrates Court this month - where he was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison and was put on the sex offenders register for seven years.
The female senior paramedic who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: “I do my job because I want to help people in their time of need. I did not expect to be verbally abused, sexually assaulted, and threatened by someone I was trying to help.
“I have never been treated so poorly by a patient before, and now I feel uncomfortable about working on an ambulance again. Nobody should be made to feel unsafe at work.
“SWASFT and police colleagues were amazing and supported me during the incident and after. I have never worked with such fantastic teams and would like to thank them all for their support and kind words.”
Grace Futers, Crime and Violence Reduction Officer at SWASFT, said: “The behaviour of this individual was totally unacceptable. Our people should be able to work without fear of violence, sexual violence, or threats of any kind.
“Our people come to work each day to help others when minutes matter, and to be assaulted will never be tolerated.
“As a Trust we will not hesitate to robustly deal with those who make a conscious decision to abuse our people who dedicate their lives to helping others. Please help us to help you and treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve.
“We wish to record our thanks to our partners at Avon & Somerset Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for their quick response, investigation and charging of this individual.”