Telford woman attacked 999 staff in ambulance
A woman attacked two medical staff in the back of an ambulance which was taking her to hospital, a court was told.
One member of the crew described being "thrown around like a rag doll" by Correne Louise Iqbal, who admitted two counts of assault by beating.
Miss Kerry Lovegrove, prosecuting, said that the ambulance crew had been called to an address in Telford in May after a female had complained of stomach pains.
They found the defendant in the garden smoking a cigarette and after checks decided to take her to hospital. However, 10 minutes into the journey her behaviour started to change.
Iqbal became loud and more violent and was told to calm down by staff and to take slower breaths on the gas or the machine would freeze up and stop working. Miss Lovegrove said the defendant became "unhappy" and grabbed at the bottle, continuing to take deep breaths.
She then began to call the female member of the crew names and grabbed her by the shirt, pulling off her lanyard.
The woman shouted at her colleague to stop the ambulance. He hit the emergency button to summon help.
Miss Lovegrove said the defendant was swinging her arms and legs and managed to strike the second ambulance officer on the face, scratching his nose and knocking off his glasses.
Iqbal was "screaming and shouting that the crew were trying to kill her," said the prosecutor. The defendant again grabbed the shirt of the female staff member who described being "thrown around like a rag doll," she added.
As the ambulance crew restrained her, Iqbal managed to bite the female crew member on the leg, leaving a red mark.
Iqbal, 30, of Spout Way, Malinslee, had one previous conviction for assault in 2009 when she was given a two-year conditional discharge. Magistrates heard she had drunk four glasses of Lambrini on the evening of the assault.
Magistrate Robin Durham said the bench had considered whether the attack deserved a custodial sentence but had concluded that it did not, and that the defendant would benefit from help from the probation service.
Iqbal was given a 12-month community order and 30 days of rehabilitation activities plus a three-month curfew from 7pm to 7am.
She was also ordered to pay a total of £510 in various court costs and £225 in compensation to the ambulance staff.
For Iqbal, Mr John McMillan said although the defendant accepted she had committed an assault, the fact her behaviour had changed so rapidly after the staff administered Entonox gas suggested it may have been behind the attack.
He added that the defendant was "thoroughly ashamed of her behaviour".
