Air ambulance medics recall Edlington torture

The crew described their efforts and their reactions to the incident

The air ambulance crew that helped save the life of one of the boys in the Edlington torture case has spoken about that day for the first time.

The older victim was found unconscious and half-dressed in a wooded ravine after a sadistic attack by two brothers, then aged 10 and 11.

Medics with Derbyshire Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance were the first on the scene last April.

Dr Pamela Hardy said the boy, then aged 11, was "pretty close" to dying.

Detained indefinitely

The attack on 4 April last year involved "prolonged sadistic violence" and sexual humiliation by the brothers on their victims, then aged nine and 11.

Earlier this year, the attackers were detained indefinitely and told they must serve a minimum of five years.

When we got there the scene was quite overwhelming with the seriousness of his injuries Flight paramedic Dave Roberts

Dr Hardy, a consultant in emergency medicine, was on board the flight along with pilot Ian Welsch, flight paramedic team leader Dylan Griffin and flight paramedic Dave Roberts when South Yorkshire Police radioed for them to attend.

Speaking to BBC News, Dr Hardy said: "He was barely conscious, covered in blood and mud and not responding to us... he was very cold.. he was very shut down."

Mr Roberts said: "I was expecting to find a young boy there who had been assaulted.

"When we got there the scene was quite overwhelming with the seriousness of his injuries.

"We found a young boy that was covered in mud that had been undressed, lying still."

Life support

He added: "Just seeing a child of that age being so poorly, having to do the interventions we did and having to transport him to hospital, it will stay with me forever."

The crew said their job was made much more difficult because of the surroundings of the remote ravine.

The elder boy was found unconscious in a wooded ravine

Dr Hardy said: "It was steep, at the bottom there was quite a lot of mud. We were having to physically hold on to each other and pull and tug to get across and carry the child horizontally on a board back up the bank. I remember that quite vividly."

Medics anesthetised the youngster and put him on a life support system before he was taken by air ambulance to the intensive care unit at Sheffield Children's Hospital.

The air ambulance crew have been credited with saving the elder boy's life and are being given a Chief Constable commendation from South Yorkshire Police.

Dr Hardy said: "I think it will always be for a lot of people something they never forget but we are just so delighted to hear that the boys have made such a good recovery from it."