Man jailed for stealing ambulance carrying elderly patient

A 32-year-old man has been jailed for 21 months after taking an ambulance carrying an elderly patient from outside Royal Stoke University Hospital and driving it through red lights, Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard.

Marshall Leese drove the vehicle for more than 20 minutes on 25 March, despite a paramedic shouting at him to pull over. The patient, a man in his 80s, was being treated for a head injury in the rear of the ambulance and was taking blood-thinning medication, the court was told.

Prosecutor Robert Holt said the paramedic initially thought a colleague with the vehicle’s keys had returned to the driver’s seat. When he realised someone else was driving, he called out that there were people in the back and told the driver to stop. The court heard Leese did not respond or pull over.

Mr Holt said the ambulance was not travelling at significant speed, but went through red lights. He told the court that a crash with the patient aboard could have left him with no chance of survival.

The ambulance had been left in “run lock” mode, which keeps its engine running while allowing paramedics to remove the keys from the ignition. Leese climbed into the Fiat Ducato and drove away from a triage bay outside the hospital, the court heard.

The incident took place in Stoke-on-Trent. Leese had earlier been removed from the driver’s seat of another ambulance by paramedics, according to the account presented in court. Footage played to the court showed him taking the vehicle; he later attempted to flee police at a petrol station in Chesterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Leese admitted false imprisonment and aggravated vehicle taking. He also admitted failing to provide a specimen for analysis and using a motor vehicle without third-party insurance.

Defence barrister Jennifer Devans-Tamakloe said Leese had lived an “extraordinarily difficult and chaotic lifestyle” and had abused alcohol and drugs over a significant period. She said his daily use of the synthetic drug monkey dust had negatively affected his mental state, causing delusions and paranoia before the offence.

The court heard Leese believed he was being controlled and receiving coded messages at the time. He appeared by video link from HMP Dovegate when Recorder Ben Williams KC sentenced him.

The judge said Leese had driven erratically and gone through red lights, putting others at risk, while showing some care around other vehicles. He also said the paramedic was focused on the patient’s welfare and had described himself as terrified by what was happening.

Leese, whose address was given as Denbigh Street in Hanley, has 16 convictions for 22 previous offences, the court heard.

Information on this page is refreshed from the connected theuk.fyi services when the interactive page loads.