Man who stole ambulance with patient inside jailed

As the ambulance drove off, the paramedic leaned into the front compartment and shouted at Leese to stop.

“When you got behind the wheel and decided to keep going, once he’d made his presence known, you in terms committed the offence of false imprisonment intentionally although you may not have thought about it in that way,” Williams told the defendant.

The paramedic was “terrified” and grabbed a metal pole which he threatened to hit Leese with, the recorder said.

Had the ambulance crashed, the patient, who was in his 80s, would not have survived, he added.

The court heard while Leese did not drive at a high speed, he drove through red lights and put drivers and pedestrians in danger.

Williams said Leese had a mental illness related to his use of the synthetic drug monkey dust.

A medical report concluded he had a “complex delusional belief system” and believed he was being controlled.

“I do think you need help as much as punishment,” Williams said.

He said Leese was vulnerable in prison and had been subject to victimisation by other inmates.

Nevertheless, he said he was concerned about the likelihood of successful rehabilitation so a custodial sentence was necessary.