Wagga paramedic banned from sector over 'bloody shameful' DUIs

Ex-Wagga ambulance officer Christopher Roshan Richards, 34, has been handed a two-year ban from returning to the ambulance profession in the NSW civil and administrative tribunal after he was convicted of multiple DUIs.

The judgement comes after a series of complaints brought to NCAT by the Healthcare Complaints Commission.

The incident which led to his departure from the profession took place in mid-2022.

At 10.25pm on July 2, 2022, Richards was travelling south on Bourke Street in Tolland when police decided to pull him over after seeing the Isuzu ute he was driving swerve unnecessarily towards the kerb as he approached the Red Hill Road roundabout.

Richards tested positive for alcohol and was taken to Wagga police station for further testing, where he returned a reading of 0.134 and his licence was suspended.

Richards told police he consumed nine alcoholic beverages between 6pm and 9pm prior to the drive.

However, NCAT court documents reveal Richards committed further breaches in the days after he was caught driving under the influence.

From July 5 until July 7, Richards attended work as per normal at the Wagga ambulance station and completed his rostered shifts without telling his colleagues or supervisor of his driving suspension.

During this time, he also drove the ambulance and transported patients including one 79-year-old lady with chest pain and an 88-year-old patient suspected of suffering a stroke.

On July 14, 2022, Richards signed an urgent request for five weeks of leave without pay for "family carer duties".

On August 4, 2022, he confessed his actions in a written statement later provided to a court magistrate where he outlined his guilt and remorse and actions he has been taking to reform his ways.

On September 7, 2022, Richards pleaded guilty to driving with a mid-range PCA in the Wagga Local Court and was disqualified from driving for three months followed by a 12-month interlock order.

He was also sentenced to a 12-month community correction order.

The magistrate noted at the time of the 2022 offence, Richards was also on a conditional release order for another mid-range PCA in 2020 in which he escaped conviction.

He was re-sentenced for that offence and convicted, disqualified from driving for three months, handed another 12-month interlock order and another six-month CCO.

He was also ordered to abstain from alcohol for six months.

Documents tendered to the Tribunal also revealed Richards was also previously caught DUI on January 19 2014, in which he blew a reading of 0.132 while driving in the ACT.

Richards was convicted in the ACT Magistrates Court for driving a motor vehicle with alcohol in his blood, disqualified from driving for three months and fined $400.

Richards also breached national law by failing to notify the Paramedicine Board of Australia (National Board) within seven days of his September 7 convictions for the two mid-range drink-driving offences.

On September 28, 2022 during a police interview, Richards shed some insight into why he drove while suspended.

"Mate, because this is the second time it has happened," he said.

He acknowledged he "did the wrong thing", calling it "stupid...embarrassing...bloody shameful".

"I was just trying to pick up the pieces and go right and formulate a plan as to... how am I [sic] going to possibly go about this...got to call a lawyer, got to do this," he said.

"I wanted to just ride it out until it got to court and see what happened.

"Obviously it has gone incredibly south."

Richards told police it was also about supporting his colleagues and not using up sick leave.

"I understood the legality of it [but] ... didn't want to let the team down," he said.

On November 15, 2022 Richards pleaded guilty to and was convicted for driving a motor vehicle while his licence was suspended on July 5 and July 7.

He was disqualified from holding a drivers licence for seven months from November 15 and fined $2000.

But after this conviction, Richards broke the national law again by failing to notify the National Board within seven days of his conviction.

On November 30, 2022 Richards let his paramedicine registration lapse and emailed in his resignation from NSW Ambulance two days later.

In mid-December, he also surrendered his nursing registration.

On March 26, 2024, four senior NCAT members delivered their verdict against Richards for the series of offences and barred Richards from re-entering the ambulance service for another two years.

In a written statement, the senior members said they would have cancelled Richards' registration if he were still registered and argued the period of disqualification would "allow further time for the practitioner to properly reflect on his conduct" and "engage in rehabilitation."

They also reasoned that a disqualification period would allow Richards "further time to demonstrate genuine insight before he is fit to return to practice" and that the decision would help "protect the public."

The senior members also found the National Board is required to record the fact that if the respondent were still registered, the Tribunal would have cancelled his registration as a paramedic in the National Register.

Richards was ordered to either pay the Healthcare Complaints Commission's costs or file submissions within two weeks of the decision.