Kirsty Sharman pleads guilty after leaving abusive note on ambulance

A woman who left a foul-mouthed note on an ambulance has pleaded guilty to a public order offence and been fined £120.

Kirsty Sharman, 26, also verbally abused paramedics when they attended a call in Stoke-on-Trent.

She entered her plea at North Stafforshire Justice Centre on Tuesday.

The note read: "If this van is for anyone but Number 14 then you have no right to be parked here.

"I couldn't give a s*** if the whole street collapsed. Now move your van from outside my house."

The ambulance had been responding to her next-door neighbour's 999 call to assist his wife, who was "experiencing breathing difficulties", prosecutor Liz Ryder told magistrates.

Sharman then went into the street and abused a male paramedic, telling him: "Move your f***ing van."

Ms Ryder added there had been "ongoing difficulties" between Sharman and her neighbours, leading to a restraining order being issued against her in January.

Sentencing Sharman, chairman of the magistrates Christopher Rushton told her: "This was an absolutely despicable incident.

"The fact it was directed at an ambulance crew providing a public service to a sick person. That crew should not be subject to actions such as these."

Through her solicitor Hayley Keegan, Sharman offered her "most sincere apologies to the ambulance staff" in court.

"She accepts the behaviour was completely unacceptable," her solicitor said.

Sharman was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and £135 costs, while a separate charge of breaching a restraining order was withdrawn by the prosecution.

After the note was found over the weekend, Katie Tudor, a paramedic mentor for West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS), posted a picture and wrote on Twitter: "So upset to be sent this by one of our crews this morning!"

Ms Tudor added that the ambulance was not blocking the road and was in a parking space.

"Is there anything that can be done about this? It's becoming a regular occurrence," she tweeted to a number of police accounts.

Jon Ireson, another paramedic mentor, wrote: "Our job is hard enough without having this to come back to as well."

Sharman was charged after the social media plea by West Midlands Ambulance Service staff.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We hope that this case will serve as a warning to others that abusing our staff is not acceptable.

"Our staff will only block roads or park in front of drives if absolutely necessary in the interests of patient care.

"In this case, they were parked at the side of the road and were not blocking a driveway.

"We would like to thank the police for their support and swift action in this case, but also to the many thousands of people who have sent us messages of support for our staff and the incredible work that they do saving lives each day."