In June 2012, 47-year-old Carl Cope was pictured on CCTV leaving the A&E department at Walsall's Manor Hospital to buy a drink.
But, on his return through the car park, he suddenly collapsed, clutching at his chest.
Paramedic Matthew Geary - who had brought Mr Cope to hospital with chest pains - watched the man's struggle from his ambulance.
After almost half a minute, Geary went over to see Mr Cope - without taking any medical equipment - and stood over him for two minutes as he lay dying, only to hold up the man's limp arm and let it drop.
He then returned to his ambulance, leaving Mr Cope - whom he had dismissed as a "drunk and a malingerer" - on the floor.
Speaking at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Judge John Warner told the paramedic: “You thought he was a drunk and a malingerer he was neither of these.
"Your actions were callous and uncaring. Your actions have had a catastrophic impact on his family.”
Geary pleaded guilty to failing to discharge a duty, and was given an eight-month jail term, suspended for two years.
Following the sentencing, Mr Cope’s family have released the following statement:
“Nobody should ever have to go through what we have endured for the past two-and-a-half years.
“It’s hard to lose a loved one but to lose a loved one under such tragic circumstances has had a devastating effect on our family.
“We still can’t understand what happened to him that day and none of us can come to terms with the loss that someone – who was such a big part of our family – was taken from us so unneccesarily.”