Paramedic jailed for assault on two women in first aid class loses challenge against conviction

Accused had initially pleaded not guilty, changed his plea, and then sought to change it back

A paramedic jailed for assaulting two women by placing them in chokeholds during first aid class has failed in a High Court challenge to a refusal by a judge to allow him withdraw his guilty plea.

On April 30 last year at Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Gerald Keyes jailed Andrew Long (37) for two years, with one year suspended, for assault causing harm to one of the women during a Civil Defence first aid class in March 2013 in Scarriff, Co Clare.