A City Council employee who was struck by a car while going to the aid of an injured woman who later died has received the council’s highest honour.
Community protection (traffic) officer Fahad Ashfaq, aged 35, has been left with life-changing injuries after the incident this January which resulted in the death of Janet Scott and the conviction of her partner Simon Mellors for her murder and the attempted murder of Mr Ashfaq.
Cllr Toby Neal, Portfolio Holder for Community Protection presented the Gold Award – the first time it has ever been awarded – to Mr Ashfaq at a ceremony at the Royal Concert Hall on Thursday 12 July, which also saw four silver awards for life-saving efforts by officers and other commendations for exceptional service by members of the Community Protection service.
Mr Ashfaq, had been in the job for just eight months and had only recently passed his six-month probation period when the incident happened. He was just over two hours into his shift in Peel Street on the afternoon of Monday 29 January when he went to the aid of a woman who had been stabbed. While he was helping her, a car struck both of them, killing the woman who was later identified as 51-year-old Janet Scott, of Arnold. The incident left Mr Ashfaq with a fractured ankle, broken shin, a ruptured knee ligament and numerous cuts and bruises.
Police charged Simon Mellors, aged 56, of Berkeley Court, Nottingham, with the murder of Mrs Scott and the attempted murder of Mr Ashfaq. Mr Mellors was founded hanged at HMP Manchester on Sunday 25 February. The trial judge, who said it was clear Mellors was the culprit and had deliberately mown down the pair, commended Mr Ashfaq’s actions.
Cllr Neal said: “We celebrated and honoured Fahad’s bravery but also took some time to remember Janet Scott and her family.
“Serious assaults on council officers are extraordinarily rare, but our officers are regularly the first on the scene where they have to put themselves between the public and potential danger. Fahad is a fine example of our frontline officers who are dedicated to providing a first-class service to the people of Nottingham – and as he showed, often go above and beyond this.”
In addition four uniformed officers received the second highest award for saving the lives of members of the public. These are Stacey Leach, Ben Parrington, Tom Lynk and Philip Curzon-Hallam, all of whose actions saved the lives of fellow citizens.
Cllr Neal added: “I’m really proud of our officers, they undergo extensive training and care deeply about our city. They are out and about across the city, day in, day out, ensuring that Nottingham remains a safe and pleasant place for everyone.”
A number of other awards included those given to members of the public, the unsung heroes, who have gone above and beyond in their own community; an award recognising the joint work between Community Protection and the Police; as well as celebrating one of the newest members of the organisation, and an honourable mention for Celia Knight MBE.