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Commendations for life savers following People’s Park attempted murder
27/02/2024
“Witnessing that event that took place is something that I will never forget”
Five people have been commended for their actions following an attempted murder in Banbury’s People’s Park in June 2022.
The victim was a man who was 21 at the time. He was stabbed multiple times by a boy from Banbury and sustained life-threatening injuries, including multiple stab wounds to his body and a punctured lung.
A member of the public called Samantha was the first person to go to the aid of the victim. Samantha is not being fully named. She used first aid items she had in her backpack, applied pressure to the victim’s wounds, and asked other people for help.
Samantha managed to remove some of the clothes of the victim to locate the wounds and apply direct pressure. She placed the victim in the recovery position.
Another member of the public, Darren Nicholson, went to the aid of the victim and followed Samantha’s instructions on how to help. Darren applied pressure on wounds to the victim’s back and did so until emergency services arrived.
A third member of the public, Ivan Dinev, took off a tracksuit top so that it could be used to apply pressure to the wounds. Ivan called 999 and provided updates to the call handler until emergency services arrived.
All three have been commended by the Thames Valley Police Chief Constable, alongside the first two police officers on the scene, PC Beth Foster and PC Alex Ayckbourn.
On arriving at the scene PC Foster helped with the first aid, co-ordinating the response while directing other officers to the scene. She took control of the situation, fully aware of her role in the application of first aid, assessing wounds and applying bandages, but also assisted with scene management and speaking to witnesses.
PC Ayckbourn was also hands-on with first aid, speaking to the victim to maintain his response, assessing the wounds, while getting as much information as possible from the victim and keeping him responsive.
The actions of all five were instrumental in saving the victim’s life.
Chief Constable Jason Hogg presented commendation awards during a ceremony held in Holdsworth Hall at the Thames Valley Police training centre at Sulhamstead.
PC Ayckbourn said: “I feel really honoured to receive this award, especially as I was just carrying out my duty.”
PC Foster added: “I am so grateful to receive this commendation.
“Incidents like this are what we join the job for. I am so pleased that the victim has made a full recovery.”
Mr Nicholson said: “Witnessing that event that took place is something that I will never forget.
“I feel grateful and honoured to be accepting this award.”
A then-17-year-old boy from Banbury was sentenced to 12 years’ youth custody after he was found guilty of attempted murder at Oxford Crown Court on May 12 last year.
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam