A 31-year-old man in New South Wales was convicted for impersonating a paramedic at motocross events and treating an injured child.
Lachlan Gardner received a two-year community corrections order for promoting himself as a paramedic through his company, Event Health Services. He provided emergency first aid at motorcycle events across regional NSW in 2023.
Sydney’s Downing Centre local court heard he lacked qualifications and has never been registered as a paramedic. Gardner even treated a child injured in a collision at one event near Lake Innes, Port Macquarie.
Gardner, who falsely reassured a triple zero (Australia’s primary emergency service number) operator of his credentials, treated a boy with a brain bleed and another with back injuries.
“Mr Gardner does not hold any approved paramedicine qualification and is not currently eligible for registration as a paramedic in Australia under the National Law,” the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) said in a statement.
“In one instance, at a motorcycle event at Lake Innes, Mr Gardner treated a child who had been involved in a collision. In the course of treating that child, Mr Gardner falsely claimed he was a paramedic to a 000 operator. The child was airlifted to hospital and admitted to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The child made a full recovery. There is no evidence Mr Gardner’s offending caused any harm to the injured child,” Ahpra said.
When questioned about his credentials, Gardner persisted in falsely claiming to be a paramedic, the statement said.
“Under the National Law, the title ‘paramedic’ is legally protected and can only be used by individuals with current Ahpra registration in the paramedicine profession.”
On Thursday, Gardner pleaded guilty to one count of knowingly claiming to be a registered paramedic and two counts of using a title or description implying he was authorised or qualified to practise as a paramedic.
Gardner was ordered to pay £2,550 (AUD 5,000) in legal costs.
“It is a gross violation of the trust of the community to make false claims about being a registered health practitioner. This prosecution highlights that Ahpra won’t hesitate to act when individuals put the public at risk through such actions,” Ahpra CEO Martin Fletcher said.
Paramedic Board of Australia Chair, Professor Stephen Gough said: “To be able to call yourself a paramedic means that you have the necessary skills and qualifications to provide safe and appropriate care. Mr Gardner’s use of the title not only discredits the important work of our profession but puts members of the public in unnecessary danger.”
