Cambridgeshire paramedic 'sexually assaulted woman in ambulance'

A paramedic raped a patient in her home and sexually assaulted another in the back of his ambulance, a court has heard.

Andrew Wheeler, 46, from Warboys, Cambridgeshire, is accused of 12 sexual offences against five victims spanning from 2002 to 2018.

Prosecutor Noel Casey told Peterborough Crown Court the defendant "was abusing the trust that an NHS uniform brings with it".

Mr Wheeler denies all the charges.

The court heard the accused responded to an emergency call to help a collapsed drunk woman in 2018.

Mr Casey said Mr Wheeler attended as a single-crew paramedic, and reassured two other paramedics who arrived as a dual-crew that he had things under control.

"After that dual crew left the scene the defendant took it upon himself to take her from the friend's address back to her home address," the prosecutor told the court.

Mr Wheeler is accused of raping the intoxicated woman and sexually assaulting her inside her home.

Mr Casey said as Mr Wheeler left her home "he said something about losing his job and nobody would believe her as she was an alcoholic".

The woman reported the attack to police and Mr Wheeler was arrested later that day with other alleged victims later coming forward, jurors were told.

One woman said that Wheeler raped her in 2008, and that in 2009 he sexually assaulted her in the back of his ambulance, the court heard.

He was also accused of placing the hand of a woman, who was a patient, on his genitals over his clothing in 2010.

Mr Casey said the woman "recognised [Mr Wheeler] was a predator using his job, using the uniform to get women to do exactly what he wanted".

Mr Wheeler has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, one of causing sexual activity without consent and two counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13.

Police said the offences were alleged to have taken place while he was working as a paramedic for the East of England Ambulance Service Trust and volunteering for St John Ambulance, but not all the alleged victims were patients.

The trial continues.