AN AMBULANCE service chief has welcomed the sentencing of a man whose actions saw one of his team's vehicles taken off the road for a full day.

Connor Liam Griffiths, of Glaslyn in Plas Madoc, appeared at Mold Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old admitted that in Wrexham on July 7 last year he damaged a cot component to an Ambulance stretcher to the value of £918.36 belonging to the Welsh Ambulance Service - intending to destroy or damage that property or being reckless as to whether it would be destroyed or damaged.

Griffiths received a fine of £80 and was ordered to pay £918.36 in compensation, a victim surcharge £34 and £85.

Wayne Davies, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s Locality Manager for Flintshire and Wrexham, said: “Our vehicles are a fundamental part of our service – without them, we simply couldn’t serve patients in our communities.

“The irresponsible actions of this individual meant an ambulance was off the road for a full day to undergo repairs, which was one less resource available to help patients in their hour of need.

“We hope this sentencing serves as a stark warning to others who think they can get away with this type of crime that we will pursue it all the way to the courts.”