Storm drain attack PCs in line for bravery award

11 October 2021

An officer who feared for his life after chasing a suspect into a water-filled storm drain and the PC who came to his rescue will be honoured at the national Police Bravery Awards this week.

West Midlands PC Paul Newman feared his eyes would be gouged out and then thought he would be drowned when he was attacked by a man who had fled a car when officers discovered a loaded handgun.

PC Holly Necchi heard her colleague’s cries for help and it was thanks to her that PC Newman survived the attack.

Jon Nott, chair of West Midlands Police Federation, said: “These two officers were incredibly brave, neither of them really knew what they would encounter when they ran into this storm drain.

“They knew the man they were pursuing had a gun in his car and they knew he desperately wanted to escape from them. But, despite that, they were determined to catch him regardless of the fact they were putting their own lives at risk to do so.

“For PC Necchi there was the added pressure of knowing her colleague was under attack so it was critical she got to him. PC Newman put up a valiant fight when he came under a sustained and horrific attack and I’m sure that PC Necchi’s arrival at the scene prevented him receiving further injuries or even worse.

“I am sure, like so many other nominees for the bravery awards, they would say they were just doing their job but their brave actions should be recognised.”

The incident unfolded on 17 July 2019 at about 11.30am when officers were on an operation on Bescot Retail Park, Walsall. A VW Golf was brought onto the site and PC Necchi spoke to the driver – Calvert Batchelor.

While checking him on the Police National Computer, it was established he had warning markers for possession of a firearm and intelligence linked him to gangs and drug dealing.

PC Necchi got Batchelor, who had started to appear very agitated, out of the car and began a stop and search. Other officers searched the car and, as an officer approached the driver’s door, Batchelor ran away.

PC Necchi chased him into a brook that ran alongside the area where the car had been stopped. Realising he was surrounded, Batchelor ran into the storm drain.

PC Newman, who was a passenger in an unmarked police car involved in the operation, followed.

The drain was around 10ft wide and 6ft high and PC Newman reached Batchelor when it came to an end after about 25 metres.

At that point, the drain was shallow and both PC Newman and Batchelor were crawling on their hands and knees in relatively deep water, mud, silt, rubbish and debris.

Batchelor grabbed a branch which was a metre long and 8cm thick and tried to swing it at the officer, but failed due to the limited space. He then launched himself at PC Newman, grabbed him with one arm around the back of his head and with the other gouged at his eyes.

PC Newman remembered the intense pressure as his attacker’s fingers dug into his eye sockets and felt he was trying to ‘wrench’ out his eyeballs. He recalled everything going intensely, brilliant white, rather than the blackness he expected, and also the indescribable pain.

Batchelor suddenly let go and grabbed PC Newman by the jaw, reaching under his tongue to use his middle finger to punch a hole through the floor of his mouth, just below his lower front teeth.

PC Newman’s reaction was to bite his assailant but was dragged backwards by the jaw, held under water for about 30 seconds at which point he felt exhausted and feared he was about to die.

He grabbed his torch and hit Batchelor causing him to fall back onto the mud and then fell on top of him.

He had been followed into the tunnel by PC Necchi who had heard the panicked shouting from her colleague. She helped PC Newman restrain and detain the offender.

PC Newman felt PC Necchi saved his life as he was physically spent and unable to do anything else to subdue Batchelor.

A firearm was discovered in the driver’s door of the car that Batchelor had run from.

At court, Batchelor admitted possessing an illegal firearm and ammunition, plus wounding, and was jailed for nine years and four months.

The annual Police Bravery Awards, sponsored by Police Mutual, honour some of the finest officers in England and Wales who have performed incredible acts of bravery, while on or off duty. 

The ceremony was due to be held in London in July last year but was postponed due to the pandemic.

It will now be staged on Tuesday (12 October). A total of 94 brave officers from forces across England and Wales have been put forward for an award.