A MAN has been ordered to pay compensation to a paramedic for head-butting and punching him while he treated a patient in Shropshire.

Market Drayton Magistrates yesterday ordered James O’Keeffe, 23, to pay £300 to paramedic Richard Bebbington for assault.

It happened in the early hours of November 25 after an ambulance called to Green End in Whitchurch.

It was while Mr Bebbington was treating a patient in the street that O’Keeffe approached and became abusive.

Two passers-by tried to hold O’Keeffe back but he broke away and head-butted and punched Mr Bebbington who then managed to restrain him with the help of the two passers-by.

The court heard O’Keeffe had been drinking with footballing friends and that he had no recollection of the attack.

He admitted assault and wrote a letter of apology saying he was disgusted with what he’d done.

O’Keeffe, of Edgerton Court, Whitchurch, was given a three month jail suspended sentence, a six-month supervision order and placed on overnight curfew from 7pm to 5am for four weeks.

He was also ordered to pay £300 compensation and do 200 hours of unpaid community work.

Mr Bebbington said; “This was an unprovoked attack. It happened while I was treating a patient in the street.

“Such an attack makes me more cautious every time I deal with a patient.”

Steve Elliker, security management specialist at West Midlands Ambulance Service, said: “It was pleasing to note that the Police, the CPS and the magistrates deemed an assault on an ambulance worker as very serious.

“Mr Bebbington is a public servant who was carrying out an everyday role; helping someone who’d been injured. He was attacked by someone unconnected to that call.

“This sentence sends out a very clear message that it is not acceptable to attack our staff. The West Midlands Ambulance Service will actively pursue people who do so.”