AMBULANCE chiefs have hit out at a callous thief who stole cycling paramedic Mark Inman's jacket while he was saving a patient's life.

Mark, who uses his 'Life Cycle' to get to call-outs more quickly than four-wheeled ambulances, was called to an emergency in the War Memorial Gardens in Leeman Road, York.

He arrived within three minutes yesterday afternoon and found an unconscious man in his 20s in respiratory arrest.

Using medical equipment including a bag and mask and oxygen he helped the man to start breathing again.

His boss, Paul Brown, Life Cycle project manager, said: "If this man hadn't received medical attention as quickly as he did, he could have died."

The man was then taken away by ambulance and Mark found that his Gortex cycling jacket, which he had left on his bike while he tended to the patient, had been stolen.

Paul said: "I was aghast. While Mark was saving somebody's life, someone stole this jacket."

He said the olive-green Gortex Gill jacket was worth more than £100 and had been donated by the trial project's main sponsor, Cycle Heaven, of Bishopthorpe Road.

"Within 90 minutes of this happening Mark had another jacket supplied by the sponsor and he needed it because it was raining."

He said the police had been informed.

The 16-week Life Cycle project began at the beginning of May and Paul said that so far Mark had beaten the ambulance to every one of the 40 call-outs he had attended.

"This was the first time he had dealt with a life-threatening incident, but he has dealt with broken legs, broken arms, and the area has been expanded since he started - he has dealt with incidents in Fulford, Heworth and The Mount. "He's getting fitter and fitter each day and able to cycle faster."

He said the project would be assessed by bosses at Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service at the end of the 16-week period.

"I would like to see it carry on," said Paul.

"But it comes down to funding at the end of the day."

Updated: 10:07 Saturday, June 16, 2001