A PARAMEDIC has said having his jaw broken by an aggressive pub-goer he was trying to treat has had a massive impact on him.
Steve Raven was on duty when he was called to reports of an unresponsive man at Shooters bar in Leominster.
But while trying to treat Henry Steven Allun Grain, 20, he lashed out and punched Mr Raven in the face – also causing damage to the ambulance which took it off the road.
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Now Grain, of Worcester Road in Leominster, has been jailed for two years by a judge at Worcester Crown Court after pleading guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent.
Speaking after the sentence, Mr Raven said he loves his job, but the assault has had a profound impact on him.
As well as the time for my bone to heal, he has been left with facial numbness and hearing loss.
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"It has also affected me psychologically – I get very nervous when I attend similar situations," he said.
“Often we don’t feel that the law provides us with enough protection, but I was pleased that the judge in his summing up was quite strong in his disgust at what Grain did.
"He understood that this was an assault on someone who had gone there to help a patient and ended up off work for weeks, robbing the public of a paramedic at a time when it is incredibly challenged.
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“When I started this job in 2015, the thought that I would need to wear a body-worn camera for my protection would have seemed absurd, but I am so glad that both the vehicle and our staff have that option.
"I feel sure that being able to capture what happened made all the difference when it came to the prosecution and I would urge all my colleagues to use the system every time they go out, you just never know when you might need it.”
The assault happened at around 9pm outside Shooters Bar in Leominster on Friday, March 4 and it is the first time that body-worn camera footage was provided to the police in the West Midlands region as part of an investigation into an assault of a member of the ambulance service.
Speaking in Hereford Magistrates Court last year, Chris Read, for Grain, said: "He was unconscious and had a significant injury to his hand.
"He was disorientated, did not know what was going on, and was trying to get out of the ambulance.
"He is a first-time offender and was 19 when this happened."
Mr Read said Grain had been diagnosed with learning difficulties when he was younger, but that support had stopped when he turned 18.
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