Man Jailed After Pointing Imitation Gun At Paramedic

A man has been jailed after pointing an imitation firearm at a paramedic who had responded to his call for help.

Clive Monamy phoned 999 on the evening of 5 May 2024 requesting an ambulance because of concerns about his mental health.

A paramedic from South East Coast Ambulance Service attended the address in Rustington and was met with a barrage of abuse from the defendant.

Despite calling for medical help, Monamy refused treatment, prompting the paramedic to leave the property in Hide Gardens.

As the paramedic was leaving, Monamy said:

“I have something for you,” before producing a black handgun from beneath a pillow and pointing it directly at the victim’s face.

The paramedic instinctively lunged at Monamy, disarmed him and fled the property before contacting police.

Officers attended the address and recovered the weapon, which was later confirmed to be a BB gun.

The 65-year-old was arrested and charged with possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

Monamy, who is retired, admitted the offence and was sentenced to 20 months in prison at Lewes Crown Court on 27 February.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Neil Winter said the incident had caused the paramedic “extreme distress”.

He said:

“This incident caused the paramedic to experience extreme distress, at a time when he was responding to the defendant’s call for assistance.

“Irrespective of his circumstances, this was a serious offence which genuinely caused the victim to fear for his life.

“This sort of behaviour towards emergency workers – or any member of the public for that matter – is totally unacceptable and offenders can expect to be dealt with robustly by the courts.”

David Monk, security manager at South East Coast Ambulance Service, said frontline staff should never face threats while trying to help people.

He said:

“Our frontline colleagues attend incidents to provide care and compassion to those in need, and they should never have to face threats or violence while doing their job.

“This was an extremely frightening ordeal for our colleague, who was simply responding to a call for help.

"We will always work closely with the police to ensure that anyone who puts our staff at risk is held fully accountable.”