A HERO female cop protected injured victims of the London Bridge attack and took on the terrorists with just her baton, an inquest heard today. Pc Mia Kerr arrived at 10.12pm – just minutes after the attack began – and discovered victims on the ground. She had only been in the force for one year […]
A HERO female cop protected injured victims of the London Bridge attack and took on the terrorists with just her baton, an inquest heard today.
Pc Mia Kerr arrived at 10.12pm – just minutes after the attack began – and discovered victims on the ground.
She had only been in the force for one year and was the “only officer on the scene for a while”.
Pc Kerr said it “felt like forever” and said she was the only person the victims were looking to for help.
She found Sebastien Belanger collapsed in Green Dragon Court below the spot where the attackers’ van crashed into railings on London Bridge.
At first, she protected the scene single-handed armed only with a baton as members of the public gave first aid, the Old Bailey heard.
The Frenchman, who had a deep stab wound to the stomach, appeared to have a “faint pulse” but later became very cold, the officer said.
She was joined by a colleague and a police medic arrived on the scene after about half an hour, the court heard.
Mr Belanger, 36, was eventually carried up steps towards waiting ambulances at around 10.45pm.
Gareth Patterson, QC, for the victim’s family, thanked the officer, saying: “It sounds as if you were concerned for your safety throughout but nevertheless carried on with your efforts armed only with a baton.”
Pc Kerr replied: “Yes. Just batons. I was also concerned I was the only officer down there for a while.
“It felt like forever. I felt I was the person they were looking to for help by myself.
It felt like forever. I felt I was the person they were looking to for help by myself.”I only had a year’s service in the response team. It felt like a lot of pressure, looking back on it.
Pc Mia Kerr
“I only had a year’s service in the response team. It felt like a lot of pressure, looking back on it.”
Mr Patterson highlighted repeated messages referring to casualties in the courtyard, saying it was “obvious” things were going on.
On body worn footage, messages could be heard requesting London Ambulance Service (LAS) be alerted to a man with a stab wound to the abdomen.
Mr Patterson said: “If you had been told there were LAS resources available before then, up on the High Street, presumably you would have discussed getting Sebastien up to those ambulances as quickly as possible?”
Pc Kerr said: “We would have discussed it yes.”
Asked why they did not reach her, she said: “I can only assume that it was because they may have deemed the area too dangerous.”
Mr Patterson said: “We have heard from two LAS witnesses saying they were unaware of all this activity going on below in the courtyard. Were you and the others down there speaking quietly?”
Pc Kerr replied: “I doubt it.”
She added: “Everything was noisy. It was just a lot of noise.”
Ambulance service incident response officer Nicholas Lesslar told the court Mr Belanger’s injuries were “incompatible with life” and another casualty who was breathing and talking needed the ambulance more.
Mr Lesslar told the court he was unaware there were seriously injured casualties in the courtyard.
He said: “I did not know that area existed. We were not made aware of casualties in that area.”
Xavier Thomas, 45, Christine Archibald, 30, Alexandre Pigeard, 26, Sara Zelenak, 21, Kirsty Boden, 28, Mr Belanger, James McMullan, 32, and Ignacio Echeverria, 39, all died in the atrocity before their attackers were shot dead by armed police.
The inquest continues.
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