A WOMAN who assaulted a paramedic as he was trying to help her husband was told by a judge she had been raving drunk and indulging in pathetic self-pity.
District Judge Andrew Shaw told Angela Greenwood she should be ashamed of what she had done.
Greenwood, who earlier in the week had been convicted of assaulting paramedic William Dovey-Evans, was placed on a 12-month community order under which she will receive supervision.
She must also attend 16 sessions of an alcohol course run by the probation service.
She has to pay £100 compensation to her victim, with £350 costs.
The court heard how two paramedics treating Mr Greenwood, who was hyperventilating, were confronted by his wife brandising a knife.
Angela Greenwood said if her husband was going to die then she also wanted to die and held the knife to her wrist.
Mr Dovey-Evans, who had put an oxygen mask on her husband’s face, bravely disarmed her.
But the court heard how Greenwood then aimed a blow at him with her fist, which he was able to block.
Greenwood, 43, had denied the assault which took place at her home in Brookside, Garden City, Deeside, on July 27.
That put her in breach of a conditional discharge imposed previously for assaulting her husband.
Judge Shaw said she should be ashamed of herself.
“There you were raving drunk, engaging in pathetic self-pity, while the ambulanceman was trying to tend to your husband,” he told her.
The court heard how that night Greenwood had held a birthday party at her home.
There had been a dispute, her husband had ended up on the floor of the hallway and he had breathing difficulties.
Mr Dovey-Evans and his colleague Michael Nichol arrived at the house, the husband was found to be hyperventilating and he was taken to the living room.
He was given oxygen, was told he was all right and when his wife interfered she was asked to leave the room and was re-assured.
But she burst back into the room brandishing the knife.
Mr Dovey-Evans disarmed her and it was then she aimed a blow at him.
Both ambulancemen then decided to leave, saying they had had enough and called the police.
Greenwood had said in interview she was so drunk she could not remember what happened after the knife was taken off her and that she might well have done it and was sorry. In court, she said she had definitely not tried to strike the paramedic.
The Flintshire Chronicle: http://www.flintshirechronicle.co.uk/flintshire-news/local-flintshire-news/2008/12/23/drunk-deeside-woman-attacked-paramedic-as-he-helped-her-husband-51352-22531290/
