Friday, January 30, 2026 - A London bus driver who chased down and restrained a thief after a passenger was robbed has been dismissed from his job, despite police finding that his actions were lawful and proportionate.
Mark Hehir was driving the 206 bus between Wembley and Maida
Vale in June 2024 when a man boarded the vehicle, snatched a necklace from a
female passenger and fled. Acting instinctively, Hehir left the bus and pursued
the suspect, successfully recovering the necklace and returning it to the
victim.
However, because the driver left the bus unattended with the
engine running while he chased the suspect, Metroline, the company he had
worked for for two years, initiated disciplinary proceedings, accusing him of
bringing the company into disrepute.
According to tribunal evidence, the suspect later returned
to the bus and threw the first punch at Hehir. The driver responded in
self-defence, striking the man once and knocking him unconscious. He then
dragged the man onto the pavement and restrained him for nearly half an hour
until police arrived.
Both men were arrested, but Hehir was released without
charge and informed that no further police action would be taken. A police
report stated that the force used by Hehir was “proportionate and necessary” in
defence of himself and the female passenger.
Despite this, Metroline suspended Hehir the following day
and later dismissed him for gross misconduct. The company alleged that he had
physically assaulted a passenger and failed to ensure passenger safety by
leaving the bus unattended.
During the disciplinary hearing, Hehir said he had left the
handbrake on and the doors open and acted out of concern for the victim, who he
said was visibly frightened when the man returned. He told the panel that
members of the public viewed his actions as those of a “hero.”
Metroline’s operations manager, Alina Gioroc, told the
tribunal she believed the suspect had returned to apologise and shake hands,
and that Hehir escalated the situation unnecessarily. She described the
prolonged restraint as excessive and disproportionate.
The case was later reviewed at an employment tribunal in
Watford, which upheld Metroline’s decision. The tribunal ruled that the
employer had a genuine and reasonable belief that Hehir committed gross
misconduct and that dismissal fell within the range of reasonable responses
available to the company.
The ruling has reignited debate about how far workers should
go to protect members of the public, and whether acts widely praised by the
public can still justify dismissal under workplace rules.
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