Man given suspended sentence after horrific attack on paramedic

Paramedic Daniel Seymour
-Credit:North West Ambulance Service


A man has been given a suspended prison sentence after attacking a paramedic in the back of an ambulance. In the early hours of Sunday, December 15, paramedic Daniel Seymour was responding to a welfare call with his crewmate.

Upon arrival to the home of David Raine, police had already restrained him in handcuffs due to concerns he would harm himself. Initially, Daniel wasn't threatened by Raine's behaviour, but things changed whilst he was in the ambulance.

Daniel recalled: "He had been threatening to hurt himself, so the police restrained him. When we got him onto the ambulance to conduct checks and transport him to the hospital, he appeared calm.

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"The police decided to uncuff him and follow behind the ambulance instead of riding with us. I didn’t object because, from what I had seen, I wasn’t feeling threatened by his behaviour. He’d asked to sit in a seat facing forward rather than on the bed facing backwards, so I got him seated in the chair in front of me and we set off."

Raine initially remained composed, but the situation escalated fast. Daniel added: "It was like a flick of a switch.

"I was writing up my notes and he was talking, apologising for us having to take him to the hospital. Suddenly he lunged for me, grabbing my neck with both hands and strangling me.

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"I couldn’t press any alarms as my first instinct was to grab his hands to try and pull him off me. Luckily, my crewmate saw what was happening and pulled the ambulance over.

"That sudden movement caused the patient to lose his balance so I was able to push him back but he was still punching me in the face and grabbing my neck. My crewmate was able to get into the back and pull him off me. The police then got on and arrested him."

Left shaken and anxious by the ordeal, Daniel returned to the line of duty but added some extra precautions to protect himself. As part of NHS England and Improvement’s body-worn video camera (BWVC) project, all frontline staff have the opportunity to wear a camera whilst on duty and Daniel will not go on duty without one now.

He said: "I will always wear a camera now. Before, I didn’t consider it necessary. I was lucky my crewmate witnessed the attack; without that, it would have been my word against his."

On Monday, February 3, David Raine was sentenced to a 52-week suspended sentence, 100 hours of community service and rehabilitation activity requirements at Crewe Magistrates’ Court. Raine was also ordered to pay £1,500 in compensation for intentional strangulation and assaulting an emergency worker.

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