But the pair immediately appealed against their sentences, and on Tuesday County Court judge Barbara Cotterell upheld the challenges and quashed the prison terms. Warren, a mother of four, and Underwood had faced mandatory prison time under 2014 laws that required automatic jail time for people who assaulted emergency workers on duty, but Judge Cotterell found special circumstances applied to both women. She ruled the pair had made "enormous" efforts to turn their lives around after "appalling" childhoods and battles with drug, alcohol and mental-health problems. She also found both women were probably mentally impaired when they attacked Mr Judd and his colleague Chenaye Bentley on March 31, 2016. Caris Underwood (left) leaving the County Court last week. Credit:AAP

The ruling brought little comfort to Mr Judd, who became emotional when it became clear the judge wasn’t going to send the women to prison. Mr Judd, who has been a paramedic for 40 years, is yet to return to work after several bouts of surgery to mend serious foot fractures he suffered when he was repeatedly kicked as he and Ms Bentley were treating a drug-affected man, and Underwood and Warren took exception to being asked to step back. Judge Cotterell said she felt sympathy for the paramedics, but was bound to consider the appeals on their merits. ‘‘Mr Judd, I wish there was more I could do for you,’’ the judge said after her ruling. Amanda Warren outside the County Court last week. Credit:AAP

‘‘I can see from looking at your face that you feel a great injustice has been done, but I have to deal with what I have to deal with.’’ Warren and Underwood had done a lot to turn their lives around, Judge Cotterell said, and she had to consider their efforts to address mental-health and substance issues. Earlier, she said the paramedics could draw comfort from the women’s remorse and shame for their offending. ‘‘It’s probably no comfort to you,’’ the judge told Mr Judd, ‘‘but hopefully they can become useful members of the community.’’ Judge Cotterell ordered Warren serve a three-year community corrections order comprising 150 hours of unpaid work and treatment for drug, alcohol and mental-health problems.

Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Underwood was put on a two-year community order comprising treatment and 50 hours of unpaid work. Both women served 14 days in jail when first arrested, before they were bailed. Outside court, Underwood muttered she was sorry when surrounded by reporters, while Warren sprinted away from media. Both women pleaded guilty to intentionally causing injury. Warren also pleaded guilty to criminal damage, related to ramming her car into the ambulance, and handling stolen goods, because she took Mr Judd’s gold necklace.

Judge Cotterell said Warren’s impaired mental functioning reduced her culpability, while Underwood was now drug-free and a devoted mother to her second child, having earlier lost custody of her first-born. A teenage boy, who cannot be named, was also charged after the attack and was later ordered by a children’s court to spend eight months in youth detention but he had significant prior convictions. Paramedic Chenaye Bentley (right) outside court. Credit:AAP Outside court, Mr Judd said he was appalled and devastated by Judge Cotterell's decision, which also has implications for his colleagues. "It just leaves the door open for everybody to have an excuse to do what they want with no repercussions," he told reporters.

"And that's basically what [those] people did – gotten away with it, no repercussions." Mr Judd also said he had spent more time in hospital than the 14 days of pre-sentence detention the woman served after they were arrested. Ambulance Employee Association Victorian secretary Steve McGhie said he was "disgusted" by Judge Cotterell's decision. "How two women can assault two paramedics who were helping someone and be jailed and then have that decision overturned is beyond me.

"It sends a terrible message to our members that they won't be protected by the law and it sends a message to potential offenders that they can go into court and claim special circumstances and get away with it. It's not good enough." Mr McGhie said Ambulance Victoria figures showed paramedics were either abused or assaulted three times a day, and that the judge's ruling undermined campaigns for greater respect for emergency services workers. With AAP