Shrewsbury UK ~Paramedic stole cash from collapsed 94-year-old

A paramedic stole cash from a 94-year-old patient after being called to her aid when she collapsed in her garden.

Mark Titley, 58, was caught on camera pocketing about £60 from a box after entering the patient's home in Shrewsbury on 29 June 2022.

He was one of four paramedics called to the address on Torrin Drive, with the patient dying a short while later.

At Shrewsbury Crown Court on Tuesday, Titley, of Linley Avenue, Pontesbury, admitted theft.

He was handed an 18-week suspended jail sentence and ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £530 as well as a £187 victim surcharge.

'Sick to my stomach'
West Mercia Police said Titley, a paramedic with West Midlands Ambulance Service, was called to the patient's address after she collapsed in the garden.

She lived alone and died after about 20 minutes of receiving CPR and advanced life support.

Titley, who has since retired as a paramedic, entered her home searching for a Do Not Resuscitate form, officers said, when he came across a plastic box containing cash.

Unaware he was being filmed, he was recorded counting the notes and placing about £60 in his trouser pocket.

He returned the cash after spotting the camera, police said, and later claimed he planned to give the money to family members for them to secure.

The victim's son said he felt "sick to my stomach" when he saw the footage.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said Titley was no longer a serving paramedic and was stood down as soon as it was made aware of the incident.

"Our staff will be horrified that one of their former colleagues would do something like this," said chief ambulance officer Nathan Hudson.

"We hold a position of trust when we enter someone's home and these sorts of actions rightly put a stain on all of our reputations which is deeply regrettable and makes it much harder for staff who are still working."

source BBC NEWS