Dublin paramedic, 58, faces rape and sexual assault charges at Dundalk District Court
A 58-year-old National Ambulance Service paramedic has been charged with rape and three counts of sexual assault. He has been suspended from duties but remains on the professional register.
NAS paramedic suspended after rape charges at Dundalk court
A 58-year-old man who works for the National Ambulance Service has appeared before Dundalk District Court facing one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, rte.ie reports.
The charges follow an investigation by gardaí in the Louth/Cavan/Monaghan Garda Division. A file was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who directed that criminal charges be brought. The man is next due before Dundalk District Court on 2 December.
The accused has been suspended from his duties on full pay. However, he remains listed on the professional register as an active advanced paramedic. The Pre Hospital Emergency Care Council — the statutory regulator for the ambulance service in Ireland — does not currently have the legal power to remove him from that register.
In a statement, the HSE said it is aware that a National Ambulance Service employee has been charged with a number of serious offences following a criminal investigation, and confirmed it has since notified the Pre Hospital Emergency Care Council.
The HSE noted that NAS practitioners are subject to the regulator's "triple lock" system. Under that framework, an individual must hold registration, work with an approved provider, and receive approval from the Clinical Director of the relevant service before they are permitted to practise. Registration alone, the HSE stressed, does not authorise an individual to treat patients.
Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)