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Man Who Stole Ambulance with Patient Inside Jailed
The defendant drove the ambulance for more than 20 minutes and went through red lights before police found him hiding nearby.
On Tuesday, 32-year-old Marshall Leese was jailed for 21 months at Stoke Crown Court after pleading guilty to false imprisonment and aggravated vehicle taking.
Leese commandeered the Fiat Ducato ambulance from Royal Stoke University Hospital on March 25, exploiting the "run lock" mode that kept the engine running while paramedics held the keys.
The "terrified" paramedic screamed at Leese to stop during the 20-minute journey, while an elderly patient on blood thinners received treatment for a head injury in the back.
Police apprehended Leese at a petrol station in Chesterton, where defense attorney Jennifer Devans-Tamakloe cited his "extraordinarily difficult and chaotic lifestyle" and monkey dust-induced delusions.
Recorder Ben Williams noted Leese drove erratically for more than 20 minutes through red lights, while West Midlands Ambulance Service called the actions "an incredibly dangerous and reckless act.