On 25/6/2024, while driving a bus on the Wembley - Maida Vale route in northwest London, Mark Hehir saw a man snatch a necklace from a female passenger.

Mark chased the man, successfully retrieving the necklace. However, the man returned to the bus to confront the driver and "struck first". Mark stated he reacted in self-defense, delivering a single punch that knocked the man unconscious. Mark then dragged the man onto the pavement and restrained him for nearly half an hour.

Police arrested both individuals, but Mark was later released and informed he would not face any further legal action.

One day after the incident, Mark was suspended from his two-year employment at Metroline and required to attend a disciplinary hearing. He was informed that the allegations against him included "damaging the company's reputation by assaulting a passenger" and "failing to protect his own safety and that of passengers by leaving the bus unattended with the engine running."

Mark testified before a labor tribunal that he "acted instinctively when chasing the man" and left the bus door open with the handbrake engaged. He also stated he restrained the thief because the "female passenger was frightened" when the man returned, and he "feared he would do something if he got up."

Mark said the public regarded him as a "hero" after the incident.

The investigating police officer believed Mark "used proportionate and necessary force in the circumstances to defend himself and protect the female passenger."

Driver Mark Hehir. Photo: Dailymail

However, Alina Gioroc, Metroline's operations manager overseeing the disciplinary case, told the court she believed the man returned to the bus "with the clear intention of apologizing and shaking hands with the female passenger." According to Gioroc, when the man attempted to shake Mark's hand, the driver pushed him away instead of stepping back, and the man showed no aggressive actions.

Deeming the restraint of the man for nearly half an hour an "excessive and disproportionate use of force," Gioroc concluded that all allegations were proven. She decided that Mark's dismissal without notice was justified due to gross misconduct.

The tribunal held in Watford upheld the dismissal, finding that the disciplinary managers had reasonable grounds to believe the driver committed gross misconduct, and that their response fell within the range of reasonable actions an employer could take under the circumstances.

A bus in London. Photo: UKtransport

However, Kieran Mullan, an opposition Justice Minister, called on the public to support a petition for Mark's reinstatement or compensation. According to Mullan, law-abiding citizens should not be punished for standing up to thugs.

The Conservative Member of Parliament stated: "This is not justice. Mark Hehir intervened to protect a passenger and recover stolen property; for doing the right thing and putting himself at risk, he lost his job. Most people would consider his actions a natural reflex to protect someone who had just been robbed."

Tue Anh (according to BBC, Sky News)