A decision is being reviewed in the appeal case of two Jersey paramedics involved in the death of a man in their care.
John Sutherland, 66, and technician Tom Le Sauteur, 36, were convicted in June of failing to take reasonable care for the health and safety of Frazer Irvine, 39, who suffered a heart attack after a drug overdose on 18 March 2022.
The incident occurred at Mr. Irvine’s home in Trinity, where paramedics and police were present. Both Mr. Sutherland and Mr. Le Sauteur were given a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £500 in costs. Jersey's Court of Appeal is expected to deliver its verdict on Wednesday.
The paramedics were suspended from Jersey's ambulance service, pending an internal investigation.
During the original trial, it was determined that Mr. Sutherland and Mr. Le Sauteur delayed in treating Mr. Irvine when they suspected he was having a heart attack. However, in the appeal hearing, their legal representatives presented police bodycam footage, arguing that the paramedics had adhered to safety guidelines for wearing protective equipment after Mr. Irvine had vomited.
The footage also showed the paramedics tending to an unconscious Mr. Irvine on the steps outside a block of flats.
The defense argued that the paramedics could not have known Mr. Irvine was at risk of a heart attack and claimed some of the original court conclusions were flawed. They did acknowledge, in hindsight, that the men might have acted differently.
Prosecutors, however, maintained that expert testimony from the original trial was correct, asserting that the paramedics did not act swiftly enough to clear Mr. Irvine’s airways and failed to utilise the available equipment from their ambulance to assist him.
The paramedics attended the appeal wearing their uniforms. The hearing is ongoing.