A DEFIBRILLATOR stolen from a first responder while he was treating a patient has been found in a Lake District hotel.
Last month train passenger Thomas Paul McNaught stole a defibrillator from the lifesaver carrying out first aid on a patient at Oxenholme railway station.
After his callous theft the 35-year-old headed north on a west coast mainline service but was detained at Carlisle. The defib was not found but now British Transport Police said it had been recovered after being found in a hotel in Bowness.
#GoodNews to report: We have recovered the #defibrillator which was stolen from a @NWAmbulance First Responder at #Oxenholme last month as he treated a casualty. It was found in a hotel in #BownessonWindermere. A male we arrested has already pleaded guilty at court to the theft. pic.twitter.com/wTOPbOFz0D
— BTP Lancashire (@BTPLancs) January 11, 2023
Details of the shocking incident were outlined at the city’s magistrates’ court by prosecutor Pam Ward.
Drama unfolded at around 6.40pm on December 1 as first responder Kerry Stafford-Roberts was first on the scene of a medical emergency.
He set down his medical equipment, which included a defibrillator, while administering first aid.
Meanwhile McNaught appeared to be making a nuisance of himself.
After an ambulance crew arrived and began transporting the patient to hospital, Mr Stafford-Roberts began to collect his kit. “He noticed his defibrillator was missing,” said Mrs Ward.
He asked station staff to check CCTV footage and this showed a male approaching the defibrillator. He picked it up and went to sit on a nearby bench before boarding a train.
A witness confirmed seeing McNaught making a nuisance of himself at the scene. It was believed he had boarded a train north.
He was later taken off a west coast main line service at Carlisle. “He was taken into custody in Carlisle and gave a ‘no comment’ interview,” said Mrs Ward.
A description of McNaught had been circulated as attempts were made to trace him, with a Cumbria police spokesman describing the crime as “abhorrent”.
McNaught appeared in court and admitted stealing the £1,200 defibrillator from Mr Stafford-Roberts.
Jeff Smith, defending, said: “This gentleman committed an offence that he can’t explain. I have asked him about the background to the commission of this potentially very dangerous offence. He handed to me a couple of letters from his doctor.”
This correspondence outlined a significant head injury history and that he suffered from seizures and a brain haemorrhage.
Magistrates adjourned the case for the preparation of a pre-sentence report. McNaught, of Hathaway Lane, Glasgow, is due to be punished on January 17. He was bailed in the meantime.
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