A BURNLEY paramedic who groomed a 14-year-old boy before molesting him in woodland has been kicked out of his profession for good.

Edward Trickett, 31, began his medical career in 2008 as one of the first to graduate from the University of Lancashire’s paramedic course.

But the Health Professions Council (HPC) has now ruled that he should never practice again after he was convicted of luring a youngster to an isolated spot for sex.

Trickett, who worked at Burnley’s Dent Row ambulance station at the time, admitted four charges of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 16 without penetration, two of sexual assault with penetration and one of meeting a child after sexual grooming.

He is now serving a four-year prison sentence, imposed at Ipswich Crown Court, after he carried out the sex attacks in Suffolk’s Theberton Forest.

And he must sign the sex offenders’ register for life. He has been fully suspended since March but was placed on an interim suspension by the council last year.

A HPC spokesman said: “The registrant has damaged public confidence in him and his profession as members of the public need to have confidence in those treating them not to groom or sexually abuse vulnerable young people and to act lawfully.”

The panel ruled that a period of suspension would not satisfy the seriousness nature of the case and ordered Trickett to be struck off.

Trickett had ‘met’ the 14-year-old online in a chat-room and pretended that he was the same age in a number of conversations.

Later he arranged to meet the youngster and drove down from the north to meet him. Trickett asked for a kiss, which he received, but the boy was concerned about what he wanted to do next.

Trickett’s lawyers said their client had himself been the victim of sexual abuse as a teenager. He was not present at the HPC hearing in London as he is still serving his custodial sentence.