A hospital patient who averted a potential atrocity by talking a suicide bomber out of detonating a device in a maternity wing has been awarded the George Medal. Nathan Newby, 35, from Leeds, will receive the second-highest civilian gallantry award on Wednesday for his actions on January 20, 2023, at St James's Hospital.
Mohammad Farooq, a former clinical support worker, brought a homemade pressure cooker bomb to the hospital with the intention of killing as many nurses as possible. He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 37 years after pleading guilty to preparing acts of terrorism. The judge, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, described Mr Newby as 'an extraordinary, ordinary man whose decency and kindness prevented an atrocity'.
Mr Newby, who was a patient at the time, stepped outside for a vape and noticed Farooq 'swaying like he’d had some bad news'. He approached him and asked, 'How are you, pal? Are you alright?' Over the course of an hour, Farooq confessed he was there for revenge and revealed he had a bomb. Mr Newby asked to see the device to confirm it, then tactically guided Farooq away from the building to nearby benches, calculating that if it detonated, it would only take out the doors.
During several hours of conversation, Farooq shared details about his family and asked for a cuddle, which Mr Newby agreed to. Eventually, Farooq hugged him, called him a 'top guy', and instructed him to 'phone the police before I change my mind'. Mr Newby described his actions as 'pure instinct', adding, 'I wasn’t going to shout because it would have caused havoc. I just thought, keep quiet and get him out of the way.'
Reflecting on the incident, Mr Newby said Farooq was 'probably a nice guy going through bad things at the time'. The full enormity hit him later in a police van: 'It started sinking in that it could have been different. Emotions started coming.'
