Friday the 13th proved to be an unlucky day for a Yorkshire ambulance worker.
Experienced paramedic, Richard James Casson, has been banned from the profession after a litany of disciplinary incidents on Friday, July 13, 2012.
The medic of 17-years-experience drove through a red light without any emergency to attend and made a number of unprofessional outbursts while on duty.
The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) heard he put his vehicle’s lights and sirens on to get through traffic for no reason.
Despite a previously unblemished career, Casson’s bad day at work also saw him go missing from his ambulance for 38 minutes, delaying response to a 999 call by eight minutes.
Further issues included him telling people he was “bored” and “losing interest” while at an incident and using his mobile phone when he should have been working.
After his bad behaviour was reported to Yorkshire Ambulance Service bosses, Casson tried to dupe investigators by forging a sick note from a doctor.
The HCPC said his “dishonesty was sophisticated” after he tried claim he was under the influence of alcohol and medication in a bid to mislead the investigators.
The panel concluded his conduct displayed “an increasing and alarming total lack of insight, remorse or understanding” of the charges against him.
Despite the offences being just one bad day in a long career, he was struck off after refusing to work with the panel during his suspension.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service said Mr Casson had been suspended as soon as the allegations came to light and dismissed in February, 2013.
