THE callous paramedic who continued to work for years after failing to act as
a man died may finally be thrown out of the profession.
CCTV footage shows Geary stand over the Carl Cope – whom he wrongly assumed
was drunk – for several minutes with his hands in his pockets as he lay
dying.
In February he was given an eight-month prison term, suspended for two years,
after a court heard that he failed to provide any help to the patient
despite seeing him stumble and fall to the ground.
Sentencing him Judge John Warner told him that his actions were “callous and
uncaring”.
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After handing Cope over to nurses, Geary is seen chatting about football
whilst the stricken man is slumped next to a bin outside.
CCTV shown to the court sees Cope earlier in the hospital waiting room
“clearly in pain”.
After a few minutes he went to a nearby shop to get a drink and on his way
collapsed twice outside the hospital doors in full view of Geary who was sat
in his ambulance.
Geary watched for 30 seconds before leaving his ambulance.
He resigned from West Midlands Ambulance Service following a disciplinary, has
continued to practice since the incident despite being the subject of a
criminal investigation and subsequent conviction.
Today a hearing at the Health & Care Professionals Council will decide
whether or not the paramedic should be allowed to continue to practice.
Geary told the hearing he did not “feel guilty”, adding: ‘There were other
members of staff there who did not help him.
“The other paramedics in the ambulance laughed at me for getting out to help
him and called me a keeno.
“When he was on the ground it did cross my mind that he was swinging the lead
or putting it on and he kept saying ‘give me a minute, give me a minute’.”
“Given that his ECG in the ambulance was normal I had no reason to believe he
was unwell.”
He added: “In hindsight I should have acted in a different manner, I did not
set out to harm the man.”
Geary, who resigned from West Midlands Ambulance Service following a
disciplinary, has continued to practice privately at sporting events and on
TV sets since the incident despite being the subject of a criminal
investigation and subsequent conviction.
Geary, from Great Wryley, Staffs, pleaded guilty to breaching the health and
safety laws by failing to conduct a proper examination of Mr Cope and
failing to carry out resuscitation.
If his fitness to practice is found to be currently impaired he may be struck
off.
The hearing continues.