Incident and Dismissal
Mark Hehir, 62, a bus driver, was dismissed after punching a thief who had stolen a necklace from a female passenger on the 206 bus route between Wembley and Maida Vale in north-west London in June 2024.
Metroline, the bus company, informed a tribunal that the force used by Hehir was "excessive" after CCTV footage showed the thief had thrown the first punch and was subsequently knocked unconscious.
Following the incident, both men were arrested; however, Hehir was released without further police action. The day after the event on 25 June 2024, Hehir was suspended and asked to attend an investigation.
Public Support and Tribunal Outcome
More than 100,000 people signed a petition supporting Hehir's reinstatement. The petition was initiated by shadow justice minister Dr Kieran Mullan, who described the dismissal as "shameful and unjust." Despite this, the employment tribunal upheld Metroline's decision to dismiss Hehir in November.
Hehir, originally from Limerick, Ireland, expressed his feelings about the situation:
"I'd be very happy if Metroline made an apology and just admitted that they might have got it wrong. I'd like them to compensate me for lost earnings. That's important, that they understand they got it wrong."
Hehir's Position on Returning to Work
Hehir stated that he does not wish to return to his job at Metroline:
"Absolutely not. You cannot work for a company that treats its staff like that. I'm not saying they treat the drivers bad. I'm just saying if anything does happen, it's always the driver's fault. They'll come down on you heavy. You're on your own, you've created a situation, now you get out of it. There's no help."
He described driving a bus as "an underpaid, tough job" and acknowledged the overwhelming public support he has received since the tribunal's decision:
"I've always felt I was justified in my actions, and it just seems that 99.5% of people agree with me. I'm actually looking for negative responses and I just can't find any. I mean everywhere, there's thousands of messages."
Health Impact and Fundraising
Hehir revealed he spent six days in hospital after the incident due to an infection caused by the thief's tooth:
"I ended up in ICU. I had two operations on my hand because of the infection. I was very, very close to losing my hand, I quote the surgeon, probably in the next three days if I didn't get it seen to at the time."
An online fundraising page has raised over £26,000 to support Hehir.
Political Support and Company Response
Other politicians, including shadow transport minister Richard Holden and Susan Hall, leader of the Conservative group on the London Assembly, have written to Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan urging "serious consideration of reinstatement or appropriate compensation."
A Metroline spokesperson stated:
"The tribunal has upheld the dismissal as fair."
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