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Bravery awards presentation

Two officers in line for

Police Bravery Award

n officer who feared for his life after
he pursued a suspect into a dark,
Awater-filled storm drain, and the PC
who came to his rescue, have both been
nominated for a national Police Bravery
Award.
PC Paul Newman feared his eyes would
be gouged out and then thought he would
be drowned when he was attacked by a
man who had fled a car when officers
discovered a loaded handgun.
PC Holly Necchi heard her colleague’s
cries for help and it was thanks to her that
PC Newman survived the attack.
The pair have now been nominated for
the national Police Bravery Awards, which
are held in London and honour some of the
finest officers in England and Wales for
performing incredible acts of bravery, while
on or off duty.
The incident unfolded on 17 July 2019
at about 11.30am when officers were on an
operation on Bescot Retail Park, Walsall. A
VW Golf was brought onto the site and PC
Necchi spoke to the driver – Calvert
Batchelor. Brave officers PC Paul Newman and PC Holly Necchi.
While checking him on the PNC, it was
established he had warning markers for their hands and knees. mouth, just below his lower front teeth.
possession of a firearm and intelligence Batchelor grabbed a branch which was PC Newman’s instinctive reaction was to
linked him to gangs and drug dealing. about one metre long and 8cm thick and bite his assailant but he then found himself
PC Necchi got Batchelor, who had attempted to swing it at the brave PC but being dragged backwards by the jaw, held
started to appear very agitated, out of the he was unable to do so due to the limited under water for about 30 seconds at which
car and began a stop and search. Other space. point he felt exhausted and feared he was
officers searched the car and, as an officer By now, PC Newman had realised the about to die.
approached the driver’s door, Batchelor ran danger he was in on his own, with a man Somehow he got hold of his torch and
away. who was becoming more aggressive. They hit Batchelor causing him to fall back onto
PC Necchi gave chase into a brook that were in relatively deep water, mud, silt, the mud and then fell on top of him.
ran alongside the area where the car had rubbish and debris. Luckily, but unbeknown to him, he had
been stopped. Realising he was surrounded, Batchelor launched himself at PC been followed into the tunnel by PC Necchi
Batchelor turned and ran into the storm Newman, grabbed him with one arm who had heard the panicked shouting from
drain. At this point, he had been spotted by around the back of his head and with the her colleague. She helped PC Newman
PC Newman who was a passenger in an other gouged at his eyes. PC Newman restrain and detain the offender.
unmarked police car involved in the remembers the intense pressure as his PC Newman feels PC Necchi saved his
operation and had been alerted to the fact attacker’s fingers dug into his eye sockets life as he was physically spent and unable to
that Batchelor had fled after being stopped and felt he was trying to ‘wrench’ out his do anything else to subdue Batchelor.
for checks. eyeballs. A firearm was discovered in the driver’s
The tunnel of the drain was about 10ft He recalls everything going intensely, door of the car that Batchelor had run from.
wide and 6ft high and it was only when it brilliant white, rather than the blackness he At court, Batchelor admitted possessing
came to an end after about 25 metres that expected, and also the indescribable pain. an illegal firearm and ammunition, plus
PC Newman was able to reach Batchelor. When Batchelor suddenly let go, he wounding, and was jailed for nine years and
But, at that point, the drain was shallow grabbed PC Newman by the jaw, reaching four months.
and both PC Newman and Batchelor were under his tongue to use his middle finger to l Find out about our nominee for the
so confined that they were crawling on punch a hole through the floor of his 2021 Police Bravery Awards on Page 15.

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