V The Court of Appeal is to decide whether Hatzolah, the
Jewish ambulance service, will be banned from using blue lights and sirens in a
test case affecting ambulances nationwide.
The Crown Prosecution Service is appealing against the
decision by a Greater Manchester district judge in October to throw out
prosecutions against two Hatzolah drivers.
Emergency medics Michael Issler and Mordechai Bamburger were
charged with illegally using blue lights by police after attending victims of a
car crash.
The judge ruled that Hatzolah was a professionally operated
ambulance service which had a legal exemption that allowed it to use blue
lights and sirens for emergencies.
The CPS wants a judicial review of the ruling. If appeal
judges find in favour of the CPS, non-NHS ambulance services across the country
could be prosecuted.
Manchester Hatzola director Myer Heilpern said: “This could
significantly affect services like ours nationwide.”
A date for the hearing has not yet been set.
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