Jonathan Roberts had been sent to the home of Nigel Francis, 58, in the Ravenhill area of Swansea, on the morning of May 10, 2024, when he became aggressive towards him
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Swansea man who spat at paramedic is jailed
A paramedic with 24 years of service has described how he now “second guesses everything” after being spat on by a hostile patient in a shocking incident that was captured on bodyworn footage.
On May 10, 2024, Jonathan Roberts, who works for the Welsh Ambulance Service, was attempting to provide medical assistance to Nigel Francis, a 58 year old man from Blaenymaes, when Francis turned aggressive.
The incident took place in the Ravenhill area of Swansea. As Francis was being escorted to a police van in handcuffs, he spat directly in Jonathan’s face. South Wales Police have since released bodycam footage of the appalling incident, and Jonathan has spoken out about its profound effect on him.
This week, at Swansea Magistrates’ Court, Francis was sentenced to eight months in prison and ordered to pay £50 in compensation to Jonathan. He had previously been convicted of assaulting an emergency worker and using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
Jonathan, a 50 year old paramedic, has opened up about the harrowing abuse he faced while on duty, which has left him second-guessing every situation. He shared his distressing experience: “I second guess every situation now. I do understand that when people are intoxicated, it clouds their judgement, but nobody deserves to be spoken to like that, threatened and then spat on, when all you’re trying to do is carry out your role as a paramedic to help patients in the community. When he spat at me, I just felt disgusted that a patient could treat anyone like that. I was there to help him.”
Based in Ystradgynlais, Powys, Jonathan was responding to an emergency call with his crewmate when they encountered the aggressive individual. The father-of-one recounted the incident, saying: “We’d been sent to a chap reported to have been unconscious, but when we arrived, he was clearly conscious and appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.”
Jonathan recounted, “He was verbally abusive and physically threatening from the outset, so we called for police back-up. With the police now in attendance, he continued his barrage of abuse, so he was arrested and placed in handcuffs. As a police van arrived to escort him to hospital, he leaned forward and spat directly at me, the sputum landing on my face, neck and clothing.”
The offender, Francis, was subsequently arrested for assaulting an emergency worker and placed in the police van, where Jonathan joined him to continue to deliver his care.
Despite the appalling behaviour, Jonathan maintained his professional duty, stating: “What he did was disgusting, but I still had a duty of care for this man. Continuity of care is everything, had I passed his care on to someone else, something might have been missed in the handover to hospital staff.”
Following the incident, Jonathan sought medical attention at Swansea’s Morriston Hospital. After handing over Francis, he immediately presented himself at the emergency department, where he was triaged by a nurse practitioner and assessed by a doctor. He shared, “Thankfully, because none of his spit had entered my eyes, nose or mouth, I didn’t require any treatment.”
Lee Brooks, Executive Director of Operations at the Welsh Ambulance Service, expressed his disgust, stating: “Any form of assault is unacceptable, but spitting in particular is downright depraved. Jonathan was there to help this man, and this was the ultimate disrespect. The fact that Jonathan continued to deliver care for him is frankly remarkable.”
He further emphasised the service’s stance on such incidents, saying, “We will always seek prosecution for those who harm our people, and sentences should reflect the devastating and long-term impact that assault has on our staff and volunteers. Our plea to the judiciary is to use the full extent of their sentencing powers to ensure proportionate sentences are handed out consistently to those found guilty of committing these crimes against our people.”
South Wales Police Sergeant John Hughes also weighed in on the matter, asserting: “Nobody should expect to be assaulted – either physically or verbally – when they go to work, whether you work for the emergency services or otherwise. This behaviour makes our roles more challenging, and we will take firm actions against those responsible.”
