An ambulance driver charged with speeding as he rushed a liver to a transplant patient has called for a change in the law so it cannot happen again.
Speeding charges faced by Mike Ferguson, pictured, after he was clocked doing 104mph on the A1 in Lincolnshire, were dropped yesterday by the Crown Prosecution Service who concluded that it was not in the public interest to pursue the case.
Speaking yesterday, Mr Ferguson said the law needed to be changed before anyone else was caught in the same situation. And he said if he was faced with the same situation he would again break the speed limit.
"I'm happy it's been dropped but it still leaves us in the same position I was in nine months ago," said Mr Ferguson, of Birkenshaw. "We need to do something about that."
The 56-year-old, who was delivering a donor liver, was due to go on trial next week after being charged earlier this year. He was taking the organ from St James's Hospital in Leeds to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.
Mr Ferguson maintained he would still break the speed limit to get a life-saving organ to its destination on time. "Very occasionally we do have to speed to get an organ to a patient who is not very well and I don't know when that's going to happen," he said. "If it's an emergency then I will have to break the speed limit again."
Gary Baker, regional officer for Mr Ferguson's trade union, the GMB, said: "Thankfully now, the heavy burden of a court appearance has been lifted from Mike's shoulders but the government must act quickly - there must be no more Michael Fergusons. He and his many colleagues throughout the country are part of the backbone of the NHS and should not be hampered in their determination to save lives. The law needs clarifying and it needs clarifying today."
Spen MP Mike Wood, who, with Mr Ferguson, presented a 20,000 name petition to Downing Street earlier in the week, said: "The law hasn't kept pace with developments in the ambulance service, particularly in organ transplant and transportation over the last 30 years.
"From this sorry episode, we need to maintain momentum and look at the loopholes in the law, look for clarity and make sure that we achieve this very quickly."
Mr Ferguson has an unblemished employment record stretching back 36 years.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article