Mark Hehir, 62, revealed he spent six days in intensive care before being dismissed by his employers for punching a thief who tore a necklace from a woman’s neck
A bus driver who was sacked for stopping a thief has said he spent six days in intensive care after catching an infection from the man he stopped.
Mark Hehir, 62, was dismissed by his employer Metroline after chasing down a robber to return a passenger’s stolen necklace in London in June 2024.
Last week, an employment tribunal upheld the bus company’s decision to sack him – sparking an outcry that has seen tens of thousands of people sign a petition to have him reinstated. Both the victim and the Justice Secretary have come out in support of Mr Hehir, with David Lammy describing him as “a hero” who “deserves our support”.
READ MORE: Sacked hero bus driver says he stood between woman and dangerREAD MORE: ‘Hero’ London bus driver sacked after chasing man who snatched woman’s necklace
Speaking to LBC tonight, the former bus driver said the firm had “taken everything away” from him – and revealed he was left in intensive care after contracting a “very bad bacterial infection” from punching the thief’s teeth.
He explained: “I had two operations on my hand and according to the surgeon, and I quote the surgeon, I was within three days of losing my hand because of this infection I got infection from his tooth”.
Mr Hehir claims that just a week after being discharged, Metroline called him into their depot at Willesden Junction and told him they were “sacking him without pay” on July 15.
Speaking of the impact of losing his job over the incident nearly two years on, he said: “It’s been 19 months of hell. I had no wages, my pension is gone. They’ve taken everything away.”
Katalin Kaszas, the bus passenger who had her necklace stolen, recalled how the thief went “flying off the bus” after grabbing her necklace from her neck, only for Mark to chase after him. She said the driver returned with the necklace a short time later, with the perpetrator stood directly behind him.
She says the thief then “started to come at me”, leading her to ask him to “leave me alone” – before the driver again intervened delivered a powerful blow.
Both Mr Hehir and the passenger were arrested following the altercation, which took place between Wembley and Maida Vale.
Mark, originally from County Limerick, was later released with no further action, and the employment tribunal was shown a note from a detective which said he had “used force which was proportionate and necessary in the circumstances”.
The Mirror has approached Metroline for comment.
A fundraiser set up to support “Mark Hehir – the hero bus driver” has now raised over £36,000 of its £40,000 goal on GoFundMe, with organisers saying the money will go directly to him with “no strings attached”.
