Bus driver sacked after chasing and punching thief

A London bus driver who chased a thief and punched him unconscious has been sacked, following a tribunal.

Mark Hehir, who told the hearing he was seen as a "hero" by the public, was driving the 206 bus for Metroline, which runs between Wembley and Maida Vale in north-west London, when a man stole a passenger's necklace.

Hehir gave chase and retrieved the necklace, but said the man returned to the bus to confront him, and threw "the first punch". The tribunal heard Hehir responded in self defence and then restrained the man for almost "half an hour".

Metroline told the hearing the man had returned to the bus to apologise and that Hehir had used an "excessive use of force". The men were both arrested, however Hehir was subsequently released and told he would face no further police action.

The day after the incident on 25 June 2024, Hehir was suspended from duty and told to attend an investigation.

At a disciplinary hearing, he was told the allegations included "bringing the company into disrepute by physically assaulting a passenger" and that he also "failed to protect his and his passengers' safety by leaving the bus unattended with engine running and chasing an assailant".

Hehir told the hearing that "he had acted instinctively in running after the (man)" and that he had left the doors open and the handbrake on.

The hearing was shown a note from a detective which said "the claimant had used force which was proportionate and necessary in the circumstances in the defence of himself and the female passenger".

Operations manager Alina Gioroc, who had heard the disciplinary case, told the tribunal she believed "that the (man) returned towards the bus with the clear intention to apologise and shake hands with the female passenger".

Gioroc continued: "When the (man) intended to shake hands with the claimant, the claimant pushed the (man) away rather than stepping away himself, and the (man) had not been aggressive until this point."

She found the restraining of the man for almost half an hour to be an "excessive use of force and disproportionate", the tribunal heard.

Gioroc concluded that each allegation was found and decided the claimant should be dismissed without notice for gross misconduct.

A tribunal held in Watford upheld Hehir's dismissal and said that the "genuine belief of the disciplinary and appeal managers that the claimant was guilty of gross misconduct was held on reasonable grounds and was within the band of reasonable responses open to an employer in the circumstances".

All the processes in the employment dispute appear to have been actioned correctly. Not sure what "common sense and decency" has been ignored. Unless one is advocating for ignoring due process.

'Bus driver who punched thief made me feel safe'

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Katalin Kaszas says Mark Hehir helped her in a "very, very scary" situation

A woman whose necklace was stolen by a bus passenger who was then knocked unconscious by the driver has said she is "extremely grateful" to him for intervening in what was a "terrifying" situation.

Katalin Kaszas spoke to BBC London at Parliament earlier on Tuesday, where the driver Mark Hehir - who went on to be sacked over the June 2024 incident - had been invited by shadow justice minister Dr Kieran Mullan. Kaszas described how the thief snatched her necklace as she boarded the 206 bus in north-west London.

Hehir, who left the bus to chase the thief, has previously described how he struck him in an act of self-defence after the thief tried to hit him. Hehir was dismissed by his employer, Metroline, for gross misconduct, a decision that went on to be upheld at an employment tribunal.

Kaszas, who explained how the events unfolded, said she had initially thought the passenger was about to push her off the bus. The 46-year-old said she "didn't even realise" her necklace had been snatched from her neck until she looked down. "Your brain doesn't catch up that quick. You're still trying to understand what's happened," Kaszas said.

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Kaszas says she is extremely grateful to Hehir, who now works as a barman

She said after Hehir chased the thief and returned with her necklace, the man then came back towards her. "I was screaming, telling him to stay away from me," Kaszas said, adding: "His face was bad news. It was very, very scary at that point."

Kaszas described how Hehir then stepped between her and the man. "He kept the guy back," she said. She added: "I'm a single mum. I'm the only one my daughter has. If something happens to me, it happens to her. He made me feel safe and since there is no Mark on the buses, I don't feel that safe any more because I know the next driver isn't going to step off the bus to protect me because he's going to lose his job."

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Kieran Mullan (left) introduced Hehir to Tory leader Kemi Badenoch in Parliament

CCTV evidence played at the tribunal showed the thief throwing a punch at Hehir. "I noticed him making a left swing, so on instinct I retaliated with a right," the 62-year-old said.

Both Hehir and the passenger were arrested over the altercation, which happened between Wembley and Maida Vale.

Hehir, who is originally from County Limerick and now lives in Wembley, was later released and told he would not face further police action.

The day after the incident, on 25 June 2024, Hehir was suspended from duty and told to attend an investigation. He was later dismissed.

The subsequent employment tribunal heard from the Met Police, which said Hehir's response had been "proportionate and necessary in the circumstances".

(BBC article continues)