A ROOKIE paramedic from Trowbridge cleared of killing a teacher as he sped through a red light on a 999 call has failed to win back his job.

Bosses at the Royal Berkshire Ambulance Trust dismissed trainee Ian Fitzgerald for gross misconduct and bringing the service into disrepute following his conviction for careless driving last year.

Fitzgerald was heading to an emergency in Newbury when his ambulance slammed into the side of 40-year-old Rosemary Fenn-ey's Peugeot 206.

The 29-year-old was cleared of the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving following a trial at Reading Crown Court.

Fitzgerald lost an appeal to win his job back on Tuesday but his union representatives vowed to fight on.

The former paramedic, who is now working as a carpenter, believes better support mechanisms should be in place for drivers involved in crashes and blames the eight-minute response times for creating pressurised situations.

He said: "They should have something in place to support personnel when it all goes wrong, not just turn their back on them."

Judge Christopher Compton called for better training courses for paramedics after hearing how trainees were only given a few hours in simulated emergency scenarios.

APAP officials, who appealed for the Trust to act sympathically, have vowed to take the case to industrial tribunal if necessary.

General secretary Mark Weatherhead said: "We will challenge Berkshire Amb-ulance's decision to dismiss Mr Fitzgerald and will leave no stone unturned in the pursuit for natural justice for him in a future industrial tribunal.

"In the meantime, we will be highlighting the problems surrounding this case in a meeting we have already scheduled with Liberal Democrat health spokesman Paul Burstow at the end of this month."

Fitzgerald's solicitor said the paramedic had suffered horrific flashbacks, eating disorders and sleeping problems since the fatal accident.

In the aftermath of the trial Wiltshire and Swindon Ambulance Trust confirmed it would also be looking at training procedures and comments made by the judge.