A PARAMEDIC and magistrate has successfully overturned his conviction for making a hoax 999 call about a fellow ambulance employee.

Mick Waudby had been facing the loss of his career of nearly 26 years helping the victims of road and medical emergencies, and expulsion from the York Bench.

That was after district judge Roy Anderson decided he was responsible for the anonymous tip-off that led to police wrongly stopping fellow ambulance worker Kerry Byrne for drink-driving - and for the mocking note found on her work locker the next day.

But Judge Jim Spencer QC, sitting with two magistrates on Mr Waudby's appeal, had a different view.

He told York Crown Court that York Ambulance Station "seemed to be rent asunder by factions, with some people on one side and some of the other".

Ambulance service documents showed Mr Waudby could not have been in the ambulance station when the note was stuck to the locker.

The court quashed Mr Waudby's conviction for making a hoax 999 call from a phone box near his home. Mr Waudby, 51, of Forest Grove, off Stockton Lane, York, had denied the charge.

"I am very relieved," said Mr Waudby afterwards. "I have had to prove my innocence, and there has been a lot of damage to my private, personal and professional lives."

He is now hoping to resume his career as a paramedic and paid tribute to neighbours, friends and supporters in and outside the ambulance service who had supported him in the 20 months he has been suspended from ambulance duty and facing a disciplinary hearing.

He also praised York magistrates, who had waited for the result of his appeal before making any judgement on him or his future.

He criticised the way the ambulance service had handled the matter, in particular, the amount of time it had taken to produce some of the documents which Judge Spencer said were an "important factor" in his bench's decision.

Ms Byrne gave evidence that on May 30, 2004, the day after she was stopped by police, she had found a note on her locker door saying: "Have fun with the pigs, ha, ha".

Both she, her partner, Amanda Hartland, and another ambulance service employee said they recognised Mr Waudby's voice on the tape of the 999 call.

But Mr Waudby and former North Yorkshire chief ambulance officer Trevor Smith said it was not his voice.

A spokesman for Tees and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service confirmed Mr Waudby is suspended and said: "We need to carefully examine the ruling. The service would like to investigate the issues Mr Waudby raised afterwards."

Of the judge's comments about the station, the spokesman said: "There were bound to have been differences of opinion."

Updated: 10:24 Friday, April 28, 2006