Man jailed for threatening paramedic with gun

A man has been jailed after he pointed a BB gun at a paramedic leading him to "fear for his life".

Clive Monamy, 65, pleaded guilty to possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear or violence and was sentenced to 20 months' imprisonment at a hearing at Lewes Crown Court on 27 February.

He had called 999 on the evening of 5 May, 2024, and requested an ambulance citing his mental health issues, Sussex Police said.

A South East Coast Ambulance (Secamb) paramedic was "met with a barrage of abuse from Monamy" when he visited him at a property in Rustington, a police spokesperson said.

Monamy, of Hyde Road, Rustington, "refused any treatment", despite having requested it during the 999 call, so the paramedic decided to leave, police said.

He said: "I have something for you," before producing a black handgun from beneath a pillow and pointing it directly at the paramedic's face.

The paramedic "acted on instinct", lunged at Monamy, disarmed him, fled and called police, the force said.

Officers found the weapon, which was confirmed to be a BB gun, and Monamy was arrested.

Investigating officer, DC Neil Winter, said: "Irrespective of his circumstances, this was a serious offence which genuinely caused the victim to fear for his life.

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

"This sort of behaviour towards emergency workers, or any member of the public, is totally unacceptable and any offenders can expect to be dealt with robustly by the courts."

Secamb security manager, David Monk, said frontline crew members "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," he said.

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

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