Man admits taking ambulance from outside hospital with sick patient still inside

By ANDY DOLAN, GENERAL REPORTER Published: 16:39, 28 July 2026 | Updated: 16:41, 28 July 2026 A man who stole an ambulance from outside a hospital as a paramedic treated a patient in the back today admitted false imprisonment and aggravated vehicle taking. Marshall Leese, 32, took the vehicle from outside the Royal Stoke University Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent shortly after 8pm on March 25. Staffordshire Police said the ambulance was parked in a triage bay at the hospital in 'run lock' mode, which keeps the vehicle running but allows paramedics to remove the keys from the ignition. Officers tracked the ambulance, which cuts off after a period of time in 'run lock' mode.  Leese ran off into woodland after abandoning the ambulance at an Esso petrol station in Chesterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, and was bitten on the hand by a police dog after failing to comply with instructions.  In his police interview, Leese, from Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, denied the offences and instead said that he was cycling in the area and looking for a friend before he was approached by the police dog and bitten.  Leese admitted false imprisonment and the aggravated vehicle taking of the Fiat Ducato ambulance and driving it dangerously between the hospital and Chesterton.  Marshall Leese was remanded in custody to be sentenced at a later date after he admitted  taking the ambulance Leese, who wore a grey Nike tracksuit during his appearance at Stoke Crown Court, smiled and waved at a woman in the public gallery at the start of the hearing.  He also pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen for analysis at Wolverhampton New Cross Hospital and using a motor vehicle without third party insurance.  Judge Sally Hancox, who said the case was 'unusual', adjourned sentencing to a date to be fixed.  She told Leese, who spoke only to confirm his name and enter his pleas during the hearing: 'Thank you for coming to court this morning.  'I will now formally adjourn this case for sentence.  You are remanded into custody.' Following the hearing, Detective Constable Lili Rose Gregory, from Staffordshire Police's criminal investigations department, said: 'This incident could have ended very differently and I'm pleased that no one was hurt as a result of Leese's actions.  'Despite his initial denial, we were able to build conclusive evidence to make sure that a conviction was secured in court today.' West Midlands Ambulance Service previously said a second ambulance was sent to the petrol station where Leese stopped to recover the patient and take them back to hospital.