MAGISTRATES have prompted outrage by allowing a man who attacked two paramedics as they treated his girlfriend to walk free from court.

Ian Stuart Murgatroyd, 30, tried to stop the medical staff from putting his the epileptic woman in an ambulance after they were called to a house in Brierfield. Both victims were badly injured and had to spend time off work.

Burnley Magistrates -- who had been told sentencing guidelines said people who assault medical staff should expect to go to prison -- gave Murgatroyd, of Woodlands Road, Nelson, a 12 month community rehabilitation order and ordered him to pay £318 compensation to his victims.

Today Pendle MP Gordon Prentice said the court should have "thrown the book" at the attacker.

And the two victims, both based in Barnoldswick, said they were disgusted by the sentence and would be referring the matter to their union to see what further action could be taken.

The court was told that one victim, David Mitchell, was kicked in the kidney, but carried on his duties in pain and had to have 10 days off work.

His colleague Philip White was shoulder charged and punched as Murgatroyd tried to stop them putting the collapsed woman in an ambulance which had been alerted by a passer-by. Mr Mitchell, an ambulanceman for 22 years and who has been awarded the Queen's Exemplary Medal for Good Service, said he had never encountered such violence before.

Sentencing him, bench chairman Susan Hughes said they had thought long and hard how to deal with him and he had come very close to going to jail.

She added that the assaults were unprovoked, the paramedics were carrying out the duty and the defendant's behaviour had put the patient in danger.

Murgatroyd had been convicted of two counts of assault by beating, in his absence, after a trial.

After the hearing, Mr Mitchell said: "I am disgusted. It is absolutely ridiculous.

"We have a notice in the vehicle now saying anyone who uses aggression towards ambulance personnel will be prosecuted and this is what you get.

"You expect this sort of treatment from drunks but not when you are attending a day time job, especially when you have someone fitting in the street."

Mr White, who has been in the ambulance service for 24 years, said: "So much for zero tolerance in the NHS. I can remember what happened that day very clearly and the three weeks I had off work afterwards."

Pendle MP Gordon Prentice said: "As a general rule I am in favour of the severest penalties -- imprisonment -- for people who attack members of the emergency services such as policemen, firefighters, paramedics, doctors and nurses. I would throw the book at them because basically they are protecting us.

"Obviously, there are individual cases and circumstances where prison is not appropriate. I will be looking carefully into this case to find out the facts."

Burnley MP Peter Pike said: "I do believe our emergency services need to know they will be protected from such violence. As a general rule, courts should be thinking of imprisonment for such attacks. The public want our policemen, fire and ambulance staff to be properly protected."

Neil White, prosecuting, said last November 3, the paramedics were called to an address in Brierfield where a woman was on the floor and having an epileptic fit. Two men looked as if they were fighting nearby. Mr White arrived with a stretcher for the patient, but Murgatroyd began to drag her off it. He was extremely violent, shouting and swearing and said she was not going anywhere without him.

The woman then kicked out, got off the stretcher and got out of the ambulance. She was put back in the vehicle and taken to hospital after she relapsed and was lying on the pavement.

John Rusius, defending, said Murgatroyd's girlfriend had suffered fits in the past and the hospital had not been able to provide any direct assistance whatsoever. He said she had made it clear that if she had a fit and Murgatroyd was with her, she did not wish to be taken to hospital.

A passerby called the ambulance clearly thinking he was doing the right thing.