Man charged after ambulance stolen with patient inside

A man has been charged with a number of offences after an ambulance was taken from outside Royal Stoke University Hospital.

At about 8.15pm on Wednesday (25 March), Staffordshire Police were called to a report of a man getting into an ambulance and driving off while a patient, a paramedic, and another individual were in the back of the vehicle.

No one from inside the ambulance was injured as a result of the incident.

Marshall Leese, 31, of Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, was charged with kidnap, theft of a motor vehicle, failing to provide a specimen for analysis, driving a motor vehicle dangerously, driving a motor vehicle otherwise than in accordance with a licence and using a motor vehicle without third party insurance.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "As soon as the vehicle was brought to a stop, a second ambulance was sent to take the patient to hospital [while] a welfare check was carried out on our member of our staff to maintain their wellbeing.

"A full investigation, alongside Staffordshire Police, is under way to understand the circumstances surrounding the incident."

Leese appeared at the North Staffordshire Justice Centre on Friday 27th March 2026.