Jail for career criminal who threatened paramedics

A court heard that Keith Rendell, described by the judge as “a career criminal”, was in breach of a 20 -month suspended sentence for burglary at the time of the latest offence.

Jailing the 33-year-old, Judge Stephen Everett said: “It almost defies belief that you should behave in this way to paramedics whose sole role is to help people who are ill.”

Kevin Slack, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court that just before midnight on September 4 last year paramedics were called to Rendell’s home in Ambleside, Ince, following reports of a man suffering fits.

The patient did not appear to have suffered a fit though had been sick and Rendell shone a pen torch from an upstairs window and then came running out of the house in an aggressive manner.

He shouted at the ambulance to move and swore, said Mr Slack.

The two paramedics took the sick man to the ambulance and locked him inside and Rendell went back inside his house but then came back out armed with a screw driver.

The patient, whose identity is unknown, left the vehicle and before he fled into a neighbour’s house Rendell threatened him with a screwdriver and punched him.

The police were called and Rendell, who had gone back into his house, came out wearing the same distinctive tee-shirt he had been seen wearing earlier and a screwdriver was found on the kitchen table.

When interviewed he denied the allegations and claimed it was a case of mistaken identity. The court heard that one of the paramedics has since died.

Rendell denied affray but pleaded guilty to a lesser offence of threatening behaviour.

The court heard that he has previous convictions including possessing drugs, public order offences and had been given a suspended sentence for burglary just two months before the incident.

Judge Everett told Rendell that unless he controls his drinking he will keep returning to court. He said that he was prepared to say things to avoid going to jail.

He sentenced him to four months for threatening behaviour and activated the 20 month suspended sentence.

Martyn Walsh, defending, said that Rendell has various medical problems, some apparently arising after he was sexually assaulted while in prison.