A DRUNKEN thug attacked paramedics who turned out to treat his injured foot by bombing them with a lamp from the 13th floor of a tower block.
Father-of-two Anthony Idebi was today jailed for the attack, which happened after he dropped a cooker on his foot and dialled an ambulance.
Despite asking for help, Idebi scared away the paramedics by lifting his T-shirt and telling ambulance staff: “I’ve been stabbed five times.”
As the crew walked back to their vehicle, Idebi threw a lamp at them which missed so narrowly that one of the paramedics was hit by the electrical cord.
At Edinburgh Sheriff Court today, Idebi admitted hindering paramedics Alexander Wilson and Darlene Smith by shouting, swearing and acting aggressively towards them.
He also pleaded guilty to culpably and recklessly throwing the lamp from the window of his home and narrowly missing the two emergency workers.
Fiscal depute Dev Kapadia said the incident took place at 10.56am on October 1.
Aggressive
The fiscal said they had been instructed to go to 13/1 Hawkhill Court to treat Idebi, who had a “cut to his foot, which had reputedly been caused by him dropping a cooker on it”.
Idebi let the public servants into the flat and walked ahead of them into the living room before sitting down on the sofa, said Mr Kapadia.
“He repeatedly asked if the cut to his foot had caused damage to his ligaments as he was unable to move his toes. He then jumped up and came extremely close to paramedic Darlene Smith. He lifted up his T-shirt and said that he had been stabbed five times during previous incidents some years before and was used to the pain.”
The paramedics asked Idebi to stop being aggressive so they could treat him, but he refused to sit down and continued to act aggressively, the fiscal said.
The emergency workers then left without treating him, said Mr Kapadia.
And as they were leaving Idebi swore at them and said “Why did you bother coming?”.
As they were leaving Ms Smith pressed her emergency button to request assistance, but her radio failed to work and Idebi continued to be aggressive and threatening towards them, said Mr Kapadia.
Panicked
“They managed to get to the ground floor in the lift and left through the front door of the high-rise block of flats making their way to the ambulance. Mr Wilson then felt a draught down his side as lamp then landed and smashed beside his feet. He was struck on the leg by the electric cable of the lamp. As this happened paramedics could hear Idebi shouting out of the window at them and they immediately made their way to the ambulance to request police assistance.”
Mr Kapadia said police officers found smashed lightbulbs on the living room floor carpet. Idebi explained to them that he had been moving the cooker, which had slipped and fallen on his foot causing injury and that he had just “gone crazy” in the flat, added the fiscal.
He was then taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where his cut was treated with two stitches, said Mr Kapadia, before he was taken into custody.
Defence agent Victoria Good said: “A trolley, which had a heavy cooker on it had been dropped on his foot. He received a very painful injury from that. I’m advised that he has had further treatment since he was in prison and has continued nerve damage to the foot and still has no feeling and he is in a great deal of pain.”
The defence agent said Idebi was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the offences. “He meant no disrespect. He panicked when he had no feeling in his foot. He apologises for his behaviour.”
Sheriff Alastair Noble said: “Obviously the incident could have been much more serious. It’s fortunate neither paramedic was injured.”
He sentenced Idebi, who is a prisoner in Edinburgh Prison to a total of 14 months for the offences.
