Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Speak out to bring offenders to justice, says London paramedic who was groped by patient

Naveed Ahmed grabbed the paramedic's crotch and pulled his pants down when he was being encouraged to get into an ambulance in October last year.

Speak out to bring offenders to justice, says London paramedic who was groped by patient

A paramedic who was sexually assaulted by a patient in London has spoken out about her ‘sickening’ experience and urged people to report offensive behaviours to seek justice.

Ilford resident Naveed Ahmed, 35, who groped London Ambulance Service (LAS) paramedic Charlotte Miller and exposed himself was jailed for nine months in November last year.

Miller who has now given up her right to anonymity said the sexual assault on her took place on Edgware Road in October when she and her crewmate were encouraging Ahmed to get into the ambulance so that they could assess him.

“But he grabbed my crotch and tried to grab me again. Then he pulled his pants down,” she said.

“I couldn’t believe it, I was asking myself if it really happened. I was frightened and scared. I think the reason I was so shocked was that it was so unexpected – I was there to help him,” Miller said recalling the horrifying incident which was caught on an ambulance camera.

As she called the police on her radio moments after the assault, officers arrived within a minute and arrested Ahmed.

She said the “sickening and disgusting” incident made “us feel quite vulnerable”.

“But I would urge everyone to report these things because I was well supported by my management team and by the police,” the paramedic said.

“It’s only by reporting this sort of behaviour and helping police to prosecute that the message will get through that there are serious consequences,” she said.

A total of 49 sexual assaults on LAS staff or volunteers were reported in 2022.

There were a further 516 physical assaults, including kicking, head-butting, punching and attacks with a weapon. Some 601 incidents of verbal abuse or threats of violence were also reported during the year.

The service, part of the NHS, has spent more than £3 million to equip its ambulances with video cameras to protect its crew members. Footage from the cameras has become useful in prosecutions, with 92 submissions of video evidence made since April 2022.

LSA chief paramedic John Martin said ambulance crew and call handlers, who “come to work each day to help others”, should be able to work without fear of violence, sexual violence or threats.

The service would do everything it could to keep them safe and ensure they “are treated with the respect they deserve,” Martin said.

LAS joined the countrywide “Work Without Fear” campaign to promote a no-violence culture and help create a safer work environment for front-line staff and volunteers.

More For You

Naga Munchetty exposes online scam that used her fake photos on social media

BBC’s Naga Munchetty speaks out against online scams misusing her image to deceive the public

Getty Images

Naga Munchetty exposes online scam that used her fake photos on social media

BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty has expressed her shock and frustration after discovering that her name and image were being used in online scams. In a personal account published on the BBC website, Munchetty described how fake advertisements featuring manipulated images of her were circulating on social media platforms like Facebook and X. These ads included crude photoshopped pictures of her face on someone else’s body, alongside links to fraudulent websites.

Munchetty said she was “mortified and bemused” by the ads, which were designed to trick people into clicking on fake news articles. These articles falsely claimed she had been detained by the government after revealing a “lucrative loophole” to make money during an interview on ITV’s This Morning. The fake articles used the BBC’s logo and branding to appear legitimate, but they were part of a scam to lure people into investing in a fraudulent cyber trading platform.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modi-Kumbh

Modi, dressed in a saffron sweatshirt and black sweatpants with saffron stripes, took dips in the knee-deep water. (Photo: X/@narendramodi)

Modi takes holy dip at Maha Kumbh, days after deadly stampede

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi took a holy dip in the sacred river waters in Prayagraj on Wednesday as he joined millions at the Maha Kumbh Mela, a week after a stampede at the event left dozens dead.

Authorities confirmed 30 deaths in the stampede on January 29, which was the festival's most auspicious day. More than 76 million people gathered at the river for a 'royal dip'. Reuters sources put the death toll at over 50.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nottingham-attacks

Calocane killed university students Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, along with school caretaker Ian Coates, on 13 June 2023. (Photo: Getty Images)

Report finds Valdo Calocane rejected medication before Nottingham killings

AN INDEPENDENT investigation into the mental health care of Valdo Calocane, who killed three people in Nottingham in June 2023, has found that he was not forced to take injectable antipsychotic medication because he disliked needles.

The full report was released by NHS England following pressure from the victims' families.

Keep ReadingShow less
aga-khan-reuters-lead

A long-time friend of the late Queen Elizabeth, Aga Khan IV was appointed KBE in 2004. (Photo: Reuters)

Aga Khan IV: Bridging faith, philanthropy, and development

HIS HIGHNESS Prince Karim al-Husseini, known as the Aga Khan, led the Ismaili Muslim community for nearly seven decades while building one of the world’s largest private development networks.

As the 49th hereditary imam of the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam, he combined religious leadership with extensive philanthropic efforts across Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tulsi Gabbard

Gabbard, 43, has faced bipartisan concerns over her suitability for the role overseeing US intelligence agencies. (Photo: Getty Images)

Tulsi Gabbard moves closer to US intelligence chief role

TULSI GABBARD, former Democratic congresswoman and president Donald Trump's nominee for Director of National Intelligence (DNI), has been approved by a key Senate committee in a private vote, moving her nomination forward to a full Senate vote.

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, led by Republicans, voted 9-8 along party lines to advance Gabbard’s nomination. A full Senate vote on her confirmation is expected as early as next week, according to the Washington Post.

Keep ReadingShow less