Prison sentence for a hammer attack on ambulance staff in Bristol
A man has been sentenced at Bristol Crown Court after attacking ambulance staff with a claw hammer while they were responding to an emergency call.
James Chandler, 49, from Bristol, was sentenced to 16 months in prison, after previously pleading guilty at an earlier hearing.
The incident took place on 28 May 2026, when ambulance crew from the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) attended a property in Bristol to provide emergency care.
After initially engaging with clinicians, the individual armed himself with a claw hammer and launched an attack as the crew attempted to leave. A paramedic was targeted at close range, with the hammer strike narrowly missing their head.
The crew were forced to flee for their safety and activate an emergency alert. Avon & Somerset Police attended and arrested the individual, who was later charged with assaulting an emergency worker and threatening with an offensive weapon and was remanded in custody until the court hearing.
During the hearing on the Thursday 16 July 2026 at Bristol Crown Court, James Chandler was sentenced to 16 months in prison and will serve at least 40% of his sentence prior to potential release.
During the sentencing, judge Mr Justice Picton said: "Understandably, you caused your victim great fear. He thought he was at risk of losing his life."
The paramedic who was attacked said: "Nobody should feel unsafe while carrying out their job, particularly when working in a caring profession.
"Sadly, we are often verbally abused, but thankfully physical abuse is less common, though it still happens.
"I hope this shocking footage and successful prosecution sends a clear message that violence and abuse towards emergency workers will not be tolerated.
"I would also like to thank my colleagues and Avon & Somerset Police for the support I have received since the incident."
Mike Jones, Crime & Violence Reduction Manager at SWASFT said: "This was an appalling and genuinely life-threatening attack on ambulance staff. The paramedic involved was deliberately targeted with a claw hammer at extremely close range which could very easily have resulted in a fatality.
"Our staff come to work to provide care and treatment to patients. They should be able to do so without fear of violence, abuse or intimidation.
"We are seeing, far too often, that healthcare workers are being exposed to extreme violence simply for doing their jobs. This cannot, and will not, be tolerated.
"Any assault on an emergency worker is unacceptable. We will continue to work closely with our police colleagues and pursue every possible action through the criminal justice system to ensure these people are held accountable.
"We remain committed to supporting our people and taking steps to help keep them safe while serving communities across the South West."
In this case, the Trust has taken the unusual step of releasing body worn video footage from the incident to highlight the impact that violence can have on frontline ambulance staff and to reinforce the message that assaults on emergency workers are treated seriously.
SWASFT continues to work closely with police and partner organisations across the South West to reduce violence and aggression towards healthcare staff and to protect and support those affected by such incidents.
Link to Body Worn Video footage from the incident - https://youtu.be/hC5eA4FvQu4?si=xY14_UNf6c7eaORH