A man will remain incarcerated after appearing in court on charges of attempting to murder a paramedic on duty by stabbing him.
The paramedic, who has recently embraced fatherhood, sustained stab injuries to his face and neck. Fortunately, he was in stable condition after a passerby intervened and helped him reach the hospital.
According to police reports, the suspect exited a small red car and attacked the paramedic in the upper torso before making his getaway in the same vehicle.
The court was informed that this was Ali’s first encounter with incarceration. He has no diagnosed medical conditions, although his doctor has prescribed him diazepam.
Ali is scheduled to appear in court again on August 7.
Victorian Ambulance Union secretary Danny Hill highlighted a loophole exposed by this incident and another recent attack on a female paramedic, who was assaulted while not engaged in patient care.
The definition of “on duty” refers to when a paramedic is providing care to a patient, he said.
Premier Jacinta Allan has committed to fixing the laws in response to the incident, and victims and unions raising the “loopholes” issue.
Her government will ask the Victorian Law Reform Commission to review the definition of “on duty”.
Shadow attorney-general James Newbury called the review “offensive” and accused Allan of “sitting on her hands”.
“Our emergency service workers deserve more than another review,” he said.
The opposition has vowed to introduce a private members bill in the next parliamentary sitting period to ensure emergency services workers are protected at all times.
Deputy Premier Ben Carroll conceded it was “fair” to point out the failure of the current laws to cover this specific incident.
He said the definition of “on duty” would be clarified as soon as possible to cover emergency workers “walking around in uniform”.
“No ifs, no buts,” Carroll told reporters today.
Haberfield was ordered to serve an 18-month community corrections order and undergo treatment for schizophrenia, which he suffered at the time of the attack.
The change meant offenders could no longer rely on a “special reasons” clause if their mental state was self-induced by alcohol or drug use.
NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.
