A fire fighter was ordered by a court to pay £1,500 in compensation to a woman whose ankle he broke when lifting her up. Lee Suggett aged 24 from Swansea, was trying to impress 21 year old Victoria Taylor by giving her a ‘fireman’s lift’.

Swansea Crown Court heard how Mr Suggett had approached Miss Taylor at the bar of the Revolution nightclub in Swansea and asked if he could demonstrate his skills by picking her up. Even though Miss Taylor refused, Mr Suggett went ahead and threw her over his shoulder. He then slipped and stumbled to the floor, dropping Miss Taylor in the process.

In the fall Miss Taylor broke her ankle in three places and spent a week in hospital following surgery, in which doctors had to insert metal plates and rods into her ankle.

The court heard how Mr Suggett, who is employed as a fireman at RAF Coltishall in Norfolk, had drunk at least five pints prior to the incident. In court Mr Suggett blamed a wet floor for his fall and said he had not been reckless, as claimed by prosecutor Sarah Lambert, as he is trained in how to carry people as part of his job.

David Hutchinson, defending Mr Suggett told the jury: “He was showing off. He realises now he was being foolish.”

Mr Suggett was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm by being reckless. Judge Keith Thomas then ordered him to carry out 90 hours unpaid community work and to pay court costs of £154, alongside the £1,500 compensation to Miss Taylor. He said that although Mr Suggetts actions had been foolhardy it did not merit a custodial sentence.