Hero WPC who tried to save baby ‘hurled into river’
A POLICEWOMAN who raced to save a baby allegedly thrown from a bridge into a river later tweeted about her ‘worst shift’ ever.
Constable Jessica Voiels, 24, was one of the first to arrive at the scene to try to rescue Zakari Bennett-eko.
The 11-month-old had allegedly been thrown into the water. his father Zak Bennett-eko, 22, has been charged with murder.
The baby died despite frantic efforts of emergency crews to save his life.
Miss Voiels took to Twitter to describe the horrific incident at the River Irwell in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, saying ‘had my worst shift yesterday. I can’t see many things being as bad as that in the future.’
The police officer’s mother Julie McCormick later said her daughter had leapt into the water on Wednesday afternoon in an attempt to save the child.
Mrs McCormick said: ‘She jumped into the river to try to save the baby. It is awful.
‘her sergeant sent her a text saying not many people go through that in a lifetime.
‘People have been texting her saying that they hope she is OK. They are so proud of her and she has handled it really well.’
however, Greater Manchester Police denied any officers had entered the water, saying it would have been unsafe to do so. On her Twitter feed Miss Voiels, who describes herself as a ‘response cop in Bury,’ received messages of support from colleagues and friends. Inspector Jim Jones posted a tweet praising the officer, who graduated from Liverpool University with a criminology degree.
‘Many cops will never deal with that in 30 years,’ he wrote. ‘Proud of you.’ The baby was rescued from the water by firefighters before being rushed to hospital by ambulance. Yesterday Bennetteko was remanded in custody at Manchester Magistrates’ Court. he is due to appear before a judge on Monday.
The child’s mother, emma Blood, 22, issued a tribute to her son, describing him as a ‘cheeky chappie’ who had everyone wrapped around his little finger.
She said: ‘On Wednesday afternoon my life changed forever.
‘Zakari was my life for 11 months and will be the heart of our family for many years to come. he was a cheeky little chappie with a smile that melted hearts. he was the youngest of five generations of our family and was loved beyond belief. Zakari wrapped everyone around his little finger. he was a happy and content baby with a gorgeous little smile and a head full of curls. everyone that met him fell in love with him instantly.
‘It’s hard to comprehend that I will not get to see my baby grow up to be the handsome decent man I knew he would become.’
Zakari was rescued by fire crews around 100 yards from the bridge and paramedics tried to revive him. Police initially said he was in a critical condition but his mother was told he was dead when she arrived at A&e.