Assembly calls for driver apology

A bus driver, sacked after knocking a thief unconscious, should receive an apology and be reinstated or receive compensation, according to a motion passed by the London Assembly.

Mark Hehir was driving a 206 bus between Wembley and Maida Vale in June 2024 when a thief stole passenger Katalin Kaszas’s necklace; the 62-year-old driver retrieved it but punched the thief when the man returned to the bus.

Mr Hehir’s employer, Metroline, dismissed him for gross misconduct, a decision that an employment tribunal went on to uphold.

The London Assembly motion, which was agreed unanimously, ‘recognises the overwhelming public concern surrounding the case’.