Heroic PC: I’ll never forget the scene we were confronted with
He tells of hotel horror from hospital bed and self lessly praises colleagues
THE heroic police officer left fighting for his life after tackling the rampaging knifeman last night told how he would ‘never forget’ the terrifying bloodbath.
PC David Whyte, 42, a father of two, spoke from his hospital bed as he recovered from being slashed by the attacker – named by friends as Sudanese asylum seeker Badreddin Abadlla Adam, 28.
The officer also praised the bravery of his colleagues and other emergency responders, saying their actions ‘saved lives’ following the horror at the Park Inn in Glasgow.
PC Whyte said: ‘The incident myself and colleagues faced in West George Street was extremely challenging. As the first responders on scene, myself and my colleague did what all police officers are trained for – to save lives. The scene we were confronted with is something I will never forget.’
PC Whyte had been on duty and arrived at the hotel within two minutes of the maniac embarking on his bloody attack.
Witnesses watched the injured officer staggering out of the building soon afterwards, covered in blood after his face was slashed.
Dramatic images showed him lying on the pavement outside the hotel as members of the public desperately tried to stop the bleeding from his wounds.
PC Whyte – now in a stable condition at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital – last night paid tribute to his fellow officers.
He said: ‘I would like to thank my colleagues who put themselves in harm’s way to contain this incident and assist with the vital treatment given to myself and others at the scene by other emergency services. Despite suffering serious injuries myself, I know that the swift actions of colleagues saved lives and prevented a far more serious incident.’
PC Whyte was one of six people who were rushed to hospital following the attack, during which Adam was shot dead at the gruesome scene by armed police.
Firearms units were scrambled to the hotel on Friday afternoon after the knifeman began attacking staff and others inside the hotel. The assailant stormed through the hotel before being cornered by police in his room.
Police Scotland said the other casualties remained in hospital, with one of them in a critical condition.
They have been described as three asylum seekers who were staying at the hotel at the time of the attack and two hotel staff.
They were all male and included a 17-year-old boy who had moved to Scotland from Sierra Leone.
Police Scotland declared a major incident and set up a half-mile cordon in the city centre amid fears that it could be a coordinated terror attack. However, they later declared it was not terror-related, amid reports that a row about conditions at the hotel may have sparked the sickening carnage.
Yesterday, officers remained at the scene of the crime in the heart of the city.
PC Whyte added: ‘I would like to thank the medical staff at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for their outstanding care in the hours following this incident.
‘Finally, I would like to thank the public for all their kind messages of support and for the good wishes from all at Police Scotland.
‘It means a lot and has brought both myself and my family great comfort at this difficult time.’
Yesterday, Scottish Police Federation boss David Hamilton spoke of his pride at the bravery of police officers and the horrors that they regularly have to witness.
He said: ‘This is what you dread as a police officer, going into scenes like this but it is something police officers need to do.
‘We have to walk into danger. What the officers had to deal with was pretty horrific and they’ve been exceptionally brave.’
‘Swift actions of the police saved lives ’
was transferred to the Park Inn along with around 100 other asylum seekers at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
The refugees are being managed by Mears Group, the UK’s largest refugee landlord company, contracted by the Home Office.
The company and its employees are responsible for housing, feeding and keeping asylum seekers safe.
But the firm has faced fierce criticism for its handling of refugees during the Covid pandemic. Campaigners claim asylum seekers were told to pack their bags with little notice before being moved to hotels.
Many have raised concerns about their living conditions at the Park Inn, with some residents saying the 91-bedroom building is cramped and unsafe.
Although the residents tend to socialise with one another, the knifeman was known among them as a ‘loner’. After the attack, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said her thoughts were with all those ‘caught up in this terrible incident’ – and thanked emergency crews for their prompt response.
Last night, Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said the concerns raised about Adam by hotel residents should have been investigated. He said: ‘This was a horrific incident in which six people were seriously injured, including a brave police officer in the line of duty.
‘A man is also dead. Police Scotland and the fiscals will go over every piece of evidence and interview from the Park Inn. If concerns had been raised, they should be investigated and lessons must be learned to prevent this from happening again.’
Last night, neither the Mears Group, the Home Office, or Police Scotland could confirm that, prior to the incident, there were no calls made to alert the police of the knifeman’s threats.
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘Throughout this pandemic, we have prioritised providing asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute with free and safe accommodation that enables public health guidance to be followed. They have access to healthcare and all of their essential living needs and costs are met.’
LIBYAN asylum seeker Khairi Saadallah, 25, was last night charged with the murder of three men who were stabbed to death in a park in Reading last weekend.
He was also charged with three counts of attempted murder and will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court tomorrow.
‘Lessons must be learned to prevent this happening again’