Former paramedic jailed after stealing thousands of pounds worth of equipment
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A former paramedic who stole thousands of pounds worth of equipment from ambulance stations across Cheshire and Merseyside has been jailed.
Scott Sutherland, of Pearse Gardens, Modbury, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday 12 November where he was sentenced to three years in prison.
The 47-year-old had earlier pleaded guilty to theft by employee, theft from a motor vehicle and two counts of burglary other than a dwelling.
The case began in February 2020 when North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) reported that three defibrillators and a charging unit had been stolen from ambulance stations in Cheshire and Merseyside.
The items, which had a total value of more than £40,000, were all reported missing on Tuesday 11 February from ambulance stations in Bootle, Runcorn and Kirkby.
An investigation was launched by detectives at Runcorn Proactive Team and during their enquiries, officer’s recovered CCTV footage from Runcorn Ambulance Station.
The footage showed a man, dressed in his paramedic uniform, enter the building at around 9.46pm and steal two defibrillators from ambulances parked inside the building.
Following checks, officers were able to identify that a vehicle registered to hire company had been travelling near to the ambulance station around the time the incident occurred.
ANPR analysis showed that the vehicle had travelled from Plymouth on the day of the incidents and further checks showed it had been hired out by Sutherland.
A warrant was conducted at his home in Modbury on Wednesday 18 March and Surtherland was arrested.
While searching the address officers recovered one of the stolen defibrillators along with a NWAS coat, which Sutherland wore when committing his crimes.
A mobile phone was also recovered from the address and checks on the phone revealed that he had sold the other two defibrillators and charger on eBay for £7,495.
Further analysis of Sutherland’s PayPal and eBay accounts revealed that Sutherland had sold another 13 defibrillators online between December 2016 and August 2018.
Officers were able to locate four of the defibrillators and by analysing the serial numbers, they were able to prove that they also belonged to NWAS.
Sutherland was subsequently charged with theft by employee, theft from a motor vehicle and two counts of burglary other than a dwelling.
Following the sentencing Police Constable Stuart Beswick, who led the investigation, said: “I welcome the sentence handed to Sutherland which reflects the severity of his offences.
“As a serving paramedic, he held a position of trust and the public looked to him for help in their time of need. Sutherland totally abused this trust and instead used his position for his own personal gain. Added to this was the fact that he committed the offences during the start of the COVID pandemic.
“At the time of his arrest Sutherland was working as a Clinical Advisor for South West Ambulance Service, having started his career as a Paramedic for NWAS.
“He knew that the defibrillators were the difference between life and death, yet he still chose to steal them.
“Thankfully, as a result of the diligence and dedication of the team here at Runcorn, we were able to uncover the true extent of Sutherland’s crimes and he is now facing the consequences of his actions.”
Roger Jones Head of Service for Merseyside and Cheshire, from North West Ambulance Service: “It’s incredibly disappointing that one of our former employees would take advantage of his position to steal these life-saving pieces of equipment.
"It’s sad not just for the public but also for his former colleagues. People quite rightly put their trust in healthcare workers, and these actions put those reputations at risk."
