Man Jailed for Ambulance Theft with Patient Inside

Marshall Leese, 32, of Hanley, admitted to false imprisonment and aggravated vehicle taking after he stole an ambulance that was left running outside the Royal Stoke University Hospital on 25 March. The ambulance driver had left the vehicle running while he entered the hospital. Leese drove off with the elderly patient and a paramedic inside.

The court heard that the patient, in his 80s, was being treated for a head injury and was on blood thinners. The paramedic was "terrified" and threatened Leese with a metal pole. Leese eventually stopped the ambulance at a petrol station on the A34 in Newcastle-under-Lyme and fled, but was found hiding nearby by a police sniffer dog.

Recorder Ben Williams KC stated that Leese's actions could have resulted in the patient's death if the ambulance had crashed. Leese's defence stated that he had a "complex delusional belief system" and had been abusing alcohol and drugs for a significant length of time. Despite this, the court determined that a custodial sentence was necessary due to concerns about successful rehabilitation.

Staffordshire Police and West Midlands Ambulance Service welcomed the sentencing, stating that Leese's actions were dangerous and reckless, and put the safety of the public and other road users at risk.