Australia: A paramedic acquitted of sexually assaulting a drug-affected patient is “shattered” by Melbourne’s ambulance service’s refusal to reinstate him.

Simon Howe, 32, was yesterday found not guilty of digital rape and indecent assault.

Mr Howe said he had proved his innocence in court but now had to prove his innocence in an unfair dismissal case.

“As far as MAS (Metropolitan Ambulance Service) is concerned I’m guilty until proven innocent,” Mr Howe said today.

“I have had to pay for the right to prove my innocence and I still have to today.

The Ambulance Union today condemned the MAS for forcing additional trauma on Mr Howe.

“The court has found him to be innocent, yet MAS are still treating him like he is a criminal,” Ambulance Employees Australia State Secretary Steve McGhie said.

“They should accept jury’s decision and reinstate him immediately.”

Mr Howe and a second paramedic arrived at a Melbourne nightclub in the city at 6.19am on November 5, 2006, to help a drug-affected woman.

A court heard that traces of the drugs ice and GHB were found in the woman’s system.

Defence barrister Peter Morrissey told the court that Mr Howe was restraining the female patient because she was behaving erratically.

Under cross-examination the woman said her memory had been scrambled by drugs.

Mr McGhie said MAS’s grounds for dismissing Mr Howe were always spurious and they remained so.

“At the time MAS said he should have filed an incident report, yet there was no policy requiring that of him,” he said.

“We call on the Health Minister, Daniel Andrews, to intervene and see that this innocent man gets his job back.”