Terrorists set upon police hero like a ‘wolf pack’
Officer tells inquest he charged at London Bridge attackers with his baton to protect people on the floor
A HERO police officer has described how he took on all three London Bridge terrorists as they set upon him like a “wolf pack”.
British Transport Police officer Wayne Marques told an inquest he just tried to “hold on and keep them fighting until the cavalry arrived”.
Armed only with a baton, he was repeatedly stabbed by the “cold and calculating” killers after coming to the aid of Marie Bondeville, her boyfriend Oliver Dowling and Richard Livett, who were injured on June 3 2017.
PC Marques had been on patrol when he was alerted by a woman’s scream and people running up and down Borough High Street. As he went to investigate, he was accosted by a man running, pointing and saying: “Mate, mate, this guy’s been stabbed.”
Pc Marques, who was wearing standard kit, including a baton and body armour, found Mr Livett in a pool of blood before he saw an assailant grab Ms Bondeville.
The attacker appeared to punch Ms Bondeville three or four times and she fell face down, while Mr Dowling was stabbed in the head and neck.
The officer said he got out his baton, took a deep breath, then charged in. He said: “I just sucked in as much as I could as if I was going in for a fight. My intention was to hit him as hard as I could with all my weight behind me with everything I had. I knew he was trying to kill the man on the floor.”
He said he decided he had to “take the fight to the attacker” to protect the people on the floor, and punched again at “close quarters”.
As the attacker began to “crumble” Pc Marques felt an “almighty blow” to the head as if from a crowbar. He said he then got into a “messy fight” with the second attacker before spotting a third attacker running over.
Pc Marques said: “I was aware I was being stabbed and cut but did not really feel the pain as such. Fighting for your life, the adrenalin has taken over. My job at that stage was to hold on and keep them fighting until the cavalry arrived.” He felt his leg shaking and looked down to see a knife in it.
Pc Marques told the court the attackers appeared well trained and “knew what they were doing”.
“One of the things that stood out to me was the quite cold and calculating way they went about things. They were attacking almost like in a formation,” he said. He added that they were standing “shoulder to shoulder” like a “wolf pack”.
“I ended up having a voice in my head just telling me: ‘Don’t go down, don’t go down’.”
‘I was aware I was being stabbed but … my job was to keep them fighting until the cavalry arrived ’
Pc Marques, who suffered nine injuries, including eight knife wounds, heard one of the men shout “Allahu akbar” three times, as if they were preparing to “finish” him off, but the attack never came.
The court also heard how Pc Charlie Guenigault had been off duty and was walking home after watching the Champions League final in a pub near London Bridge when he heard Mr Livett say: “Help I’ve been stabbed.”
The Met Police officer made a 999 call before running over to help Pc Marques and his colleague. He said: “I sprinted over towards them. I just threw myself into this bundle of people.”
Both officers received the George Medal for Bravery, while the court heard how Kirsty Boden was posthumously awarded an Australian bravery medal and Queen’s commendation for bravery. Ms Boden, dubbed the Angel of London Bridge, was killed after rushing in to help victims outside Boro Bistro restaurant.
Adjourning the Old Bailey inquest, chief coroner Mark Lucraft QC said: “It has been a case of extraordinary bravery in the face of extraordinary brutality.”