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.

 

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.