A paramedic who thought he was untouchable is behind bars after being convicted of sex attacks on two women and a girl.
Andrew Wheeler, 46, was said to have abused the trust given by his uniform to carry out the assaults.
One victim, a nurse, was raped at an ambulance station and assaulted a year later when he treated her as a patient in an ambulance.
Another victim was an alcoholic who was told by Wheeler that nobody would believe her because of her drink problem.
A girl was aged nine or ten when she was touched on her inner thigh by the paramedic, who was also involved with the St John’s Ambulance brigade.
The offences took place when Wheeler was working for the East of England Ambulance Service in the Cambridgeshire.
Prosecutor Noel Casey described Wheeler as a “callous sexual abuser who thought he was untouchable.
“He abused the privilege and trust that wearing an NHS uniform brings,” he said.
The nurse said she was a virgin when she exchanged flirty texts with Wheeler and had sexual activity with him at an ambulance station in December 2008.
Wheeler’s demeanour changed and he pushed her over a sofa and raped her.
The following August, Peterborough Crown Court heard, she called an ambulance. Wheeler was part of the crew and in the back of the ambulance he grabbed her breast.
Mr Casey said: “He gave her some adrenaline and said: ‘That’s not the first time I have had to jab you with something.’ It shows Andrew Wheeler’s disregard and casual indifference to the sexual autonomy of women.”
Wheeler told the police his relationship with the woman was one of a “friend with benefits.”
The alcoholic woman had gone to a friend’s house on the morning September 2 2018. Wheeler drove her back home. There he orally raped her and sexually assaulted her. He told her nobody would believe her.
The youngest victim was assaulted between 2012 and 2014, the jury heard.
Wheeler of Warboys, Cambs denied 18 charges:
On Monday he was convicted of raping the nurse by a majority of ten to two, and convicted of sexually assaulting her unanimously.
The jury of seven women and five men also convicted him of raping the alcoholic woman and assaulting her by penetration, both by a majority of ten to two.
He was convicted of two charges of sexual assault on a child aged under 13 by a majority of 11 to one.
He was found not guilty of causing sexual activity with a patient in her home in 2010.
There were 11 charges of rape against one woman – with one being an alternative to another. The jury cleared him of six charges and could not reach verdicts on five others. Judge Matthew Lowe discharged them from returning verdicts on those five.
The prosecution had until 3pm on Tuesday January 12, to decide whether to pursue a retrial. If they did not Judge Matthew Lowe said the reporting ban would expire.
The judge remanded Wheeler in custody while reports are prepared.
A CPS spokesperson said: “Andrew Wheeler has been found guilty of a string of sexual offences, including multiple rapes against a total of three victims across the county of Cambridgeshire, some of which occurred during his service as a paramedic. The offending occurred over a period of nine years.
“The CPS has carefully reviewed evidence relating to five further allegations made against Mr Wheeler, on which a jury was unable to reach a verdict, following his acquittal by the jury for six further allegations against two other victims. As part of our continual review process we have decided that the evidential test is no longer met to continue with a further retrial for those five allegations.”
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