A FORMER air steward twice assaulted paramedics who turned up to his house to help him.

Blackburn magistrates heard one of the victims was locked inside the property and had to wrestle the keys off Duncan Cliffe.

The court was told that on both occasions Cliffe was heavily intoxicated.

Cliffe, 41, of Dugdale Street, Burnley, pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker and being drunk and disorderly on July 24 and assaulting an emergency worker on October 17. He was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months and made subject to a community order with an alcohol treatment order. He was ordered to pay £100 compensation to each of the victims.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said on the first occasion paramedics had assisted Cliffe into their ambulance.

“He made several attempts to leave but they stopped him because there were concerns he was going to take his own life,” said Miss Allan.

“The ambulance was parked on a busy road and without warning the defendant grabbed senior paramedic Andy Wilson by the wrists and tried to push him out.”

Miss Allan said Cliffe was extremely drunk and was still drinking while the paramedics were dealing with him.

The incident in October followed a report of a male having a seizure followed by a period of unresponsiveness.

“There was a violence marker against the address because of the previous incident,” said Miss Allan.

“When the ambulance arrived a female took Cliffe inside and paramedic Byron Entwistle followed,” she added.

Cliffe lunged at the paramedic and grabbed him around the throat and squeezed. Mr Byron managed to break free but Cliffe locked the front door and said the paramedic was going nowhere.

“He said he was going to bite his neck and the paramedic said he realised he had to get out,” said Miss Allan.

“He pushed Cliffe against the wall, causing him to drop the keys and took his chance to get out,” she added.

In a victim impact statement, Mr Byron said he had worked as a paramedic for 10 years in Manchester and Lancashire and in that time had never been assaulted."

Catherine Fell, defending, said alcohol had been the main issue on both occasions.