'It completely knocked my confidence' – ambulance volunteer relives sexual assault by patient
12.01.26
A Welsh Ambulance Service volunteer has described the moment she was sexually assaulted by a patient.
Community First Responder Emily Hilton was grabbed by a man who then tried to kiss her on a busy main road in Cardiff as she assessed him after a fall.
The 24-year-old volunteer says she almost quit her role for fear it could happen again.
Emily has waived her right to anonymity, which is automatically granted to victims of sexual offences, to tell her story.
She said: “In my three years of volunteering, no-one’s ever done anything like that to me before.
“It completely knocked my confidence.
“Yes, you’ll get patients who are frustrated because they’ve been waiting a long time for help, but this was the first time someone was physically violent towards me.
“It made me wonder if I actually wanted to continue volunteering.
“It was definitely hard coming to terms with what happened, and the time off I had afterwards created time for that anxiety to build.
“Luckily, I had fantastic support from colleagues and friends, so I did come back, but I’m definitely more mindful now about the risks.”
Community First Responders attend 999 calls in their community and administer first aid in the precious minutes before an ambulance arrives.
They are trained by the Welsh Ambulance Service to administer first aid, including oxygen therapy and CPR, as well as the use of a defibrillator.
Emily was the first to arrive at the scene on Newport Road, Cardiff, last March, after multiple 999 calls reporting that a man had fallen from his wheelchair.
She said: “The patient was clear that he didn’t want medical attention, but he did want help getting home, so I called our control room to agree next steps.
“After I spoke with our control and clinical teams, he became verbally abusive and threatened to ‘knock my lights out’.
“I asked if he wanted me to leave, but then he complained that he was in pain.
“I offered to assess him, and that’s when he grabbed the top of my neck and pulled me in, forehead-to-forehead and tried to kiss me on the lips.
“I was completely taken aback that he’d grabbed me in the first place, but he also had a vape in his hand which for a split second, I thought was a knife.
“It all happened so quickly, but I said, ‘don’t do that’ and pulled away.
“The ambulance arrived shortly afterwards, and once I told the crew what had happened, we called the police.”
The Trust’s Violence and Aggression Case Managers worked with South Wales Police and the Crown Prosecution Service to bring charges against Craig Burgess, 48, of Cardiff.
Burgess was arrested and charged with sexual assault.
He was found guilty in May 2025 and was sentenced to a community order at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on Friday (9 January 2026), which requires him to carry out rehabilitation activities.
He was also fined £60, ordered to pay £100 compensation and sign on the sex offender’s register for five years.
Emma Wood, Chief Executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “Any assault on an emergency worker is unacceptable, but what makes Emily’s experience particularly shocking is that she was volunteering her time, unpaid, to support her community.
“She stepped forward to help others and instead was subjected to a traumatic and despicable act of violence.
“We will always seek prosecution for those who choose to harm our people.
“Please treat emergency workers with respect.”
PC James Paget, South Wales Police’s Officer in the Case, added: “The psychological and physical effects of an assault of this nature can be long-lasting.
“No-one should have to go to work fearing they will be treated in this way when they are working hard – even volunteering in their own time – to keep others safe.
“Craig Burgess’ actions that night were abhorrent.”
In 2021, the Joint Emergency Services Group in Wales launched its With Us, Not Against Us campaign in a bid to reduce assaults on Welsh emergency workers.
Pledge your support on social media using the hashtag #WithUsNotAgainstUs.