A “VILE and repulsive” man who smashed an ambulance window with a wine bottle has been jailed for two months.

Luke Burgess, 24, hurled the glass bottle and beer cans at the vehicle while paramedics treated his brother inside on February 11.

Magistrates told him an example must be made when members of the emergency services are targeted and ordered him to pay the two paramedics £125 each in compensation.

Visibly angry, chair of the bench Andrew Merrill told Burgess: “This was a prolonged and sustained attack.

“We find it vile and repulsive on behalf of the paramedics who would have had no idea what was going on when they were treating your brother at the time. It must have been frightening for them.”

He added: “We would like the message to go out that when the public needs an ambulance the paramedics should not be attacked by vile and repulsive people like you.

“This sentence has to be a deterrent for the protection of the public and especially for the public servants who are there for our benefit.”

Prosecuting at Chester Magistrates Court, Rob Youds said two paramedics had been called to Burgess’s family home on Parklands, Little Sutton, Ellesmere Port, at around 12.20am.

The defendant and his brother Jamie had been to the pub but Jamie returned home early as he was feeling unwell.

An ambulance was then called as he began experiencing a “high temperature and heart problems”.

The paramedics checked him over in the living room before deciding that he should be transported to hospital for overnight observation.

It was while they were carrying out further tests in the back of the ambulance that they heard shouting and abuse coming from a man outside the property.

Mr Youds said: “When they got to the ambulance they shut the doors and all of a sudden they heard a thud on the side of the ambulance like someone had punched or kicked it.”

Vauxhall employee Burgess, who has four previous convictions for five offences, began shouting again, telling his brother to get out of the vehicle.

One of the paramedics got out of the ambulance just in time to see a beer can being thrown. Some of the contents splashed on him as the can flew past.

They then kept the door shut and phoned the police, after which they heard two more bangs on the side of the ambulance.

A side window was smashed and a broken wine bottle was later found on the floor next to the vehicle.

Burgess was arrested and admitted the offence during interview, although he could offer no explanation for his actions other than drunken concern for his brother.

The whole episode was said to last around 10 minutes.

Scott McCrimmon, defending, said: “It’s a rather bizarre set of incidents. There is no suggestion that Mr Burgess used violence directed at the paramedics. It appears to be concern that his brother is in the ambulance but it’s a very unusual way of expressing concern.

“He puts it down to being intoxicated at the time of the incidents which clouded his judgement and behaviour.”

Mr McCrimmon said Burgess had been drinking a lot as a coping mechanism after losing a close family friend.

It also emerged that he suffered with anxiety and depression after being attacked at the age of 16.

* At the time of the offence, a spokesman for North West Ambulance Service said staff had been appalled by the incident.

She said: “Thankfully there were no injuries as a result but both the ambulance crew and the patient were very shaken up and this has resulted in the vehicle being taken off the road as well as a hefty repair bill. However, the outcome could have been a lot worse.”

She added: “This is the second attack of its kind in recent weeks and we just have no words. We’re appalled some members of the public can treat us so badly when we’re only here to help."