Quick-thinking police officers saved stab victim (From Your Local Guardian)

Quick-thinking police officers saved Wallington stab victim

10:10am Tuesday 3rd April 2012 in Top Stories By James Pepper

The bloody scenes confronted by the arriving police officers as they got to Stafford Road was something the pair "had never seen before".

PC Matt Stevens and Special Constable Leanne Evans described a dramatic "scoop and run" rescue of Darren Jones from outside Wayne McClatchie's house, in Wallington.

After being stabbed in the neck, Mr Jones was "bleeding profusely" and the two police officers had to think on their feet.

Leanne Evans described how she used Mr Jones t-shirt to stem the flow of the blood.

She said: "He was flat on his back and his eyes were rolled back in his head. We didn't have time to think about what we were doing, we just acted on our instincts. Nothing in training prepares you for that."

PC Matt Stevens said Mr Jones torso was "completely covered in blood."

He said: "He was being given adrenaline shots in the ambulance as we sped towards the hospital. We help people every day, but it's rarely as dramatic as that was."

Miss Evans said: "Everything was falling out of the cupboards on the ambulance as it flew around corners. It was chaos, but to know we were involved in saving him means a lot."

Detective Inspector Sarah Rees, of Sutton's CID, praised PC Stevens and MSC Evans. "They did not hesitate when faced with horrific injuries to provide first aid whilst getting covered in the victim's blood. Their actions that night were an example of outstanding professional police work which helped to save a man's life."

Last week, Wayne McClatchie was sentenced to six years in prison for the attack, which left Darren Jones in a coma for more than two weeks.