Royal Humane Society award for man who saved stabbing victim’s life

A member of the public who intervened in a fight and then saved a man’s life has been awarded a Testimonial on Vellum by the Royal Humane Society.

The Testimonial on Vellum is awarded to someone who has put themselves in considerable danger to save, or attempt to save, someone else.

On January 13 this year, Simon Bonanno was in The Railway Inn in Rushden when two men entered the pub. One was Francis Michael Moynagh, the other was the eventual victim who he had befriended earlier that evening. After being refused service, Moynagh became angry and kicked the door as he stormed out.

He soon returned and following a verbal exchange with the manager, punched her in the face before assaulting Mr Bonanno who stepped in to help.

As Moynagh left the pub, a second man, Colin Conner Mark Jeffers, became aggressive towards the victim, producing a knife and attempting to stab him in the head. He then handed the weapon to Moynagh, who went on to stab the man in his groin before the two fled the scene.

Despite his injuries, the victim managed to stumble back into the pub where he then started to go in and out of consciousness. Mr Bonanno recognised the severity of the situation, applying direct pressure to the catastrophic bleed while the emergency services were called.

When the police arrived, Mr Bonanno quickly pointed out to officers that the man had an arterial bleed which needed urgent medical attention and assisted them in administering first aid while waiting for paramedics.

Thanks to Mr Bonanno’s quick thinking, the victim was rushed to hospital and into surgery, with doctors stating his swift actions had saved the man’s life.

Mr Bonanno said: “I’m honoured to receive this award, but this was an uncalled-for incident that could have resulted in a tragic loss of life. These two men could easily have been looking at a murder charge.

“There is no place for knife crime in society, in any way, shape or form – I feel very strongly about that. People need to think about the consequences of their actions when they carry a knife. It could be used against you or it could potentially take away someone else’s life.”

Mr Bonanno’s award was presented to him on October 16, by Acting Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet.

Mr Balhatchet said: “Mr Bonanno’s swift actions that day ultimately saved the victim’s life and I’d like to extend my congratulations to him on his receipt of the Testimonial on Vellum.

“Knife crime can destroy lives and we’re working hard to tackle this violence within the county, and I urge anyone who has any information about knife crime, or concerns about someone who may be carrying a weapon to contact us or Crimestoppers anonymously. We can offer support and advice to you.”

Tackling serious violence is a priority for Northamptonshire Police and our Youth Violence Intervention Unit is taking a long-term approach to improving the lives of young people involved in this type of crime, providing support and intervention to them and their families in a bid to prevent them falling into a life of crime. You can find out more via our knife crime pages.

The two men, Colin Conner Mark Jeffers and Francis Michael Moynagh, were jailed for more than eleven years.  

Tackling knife crime is taking centre stage this week as Northamptonshire Police joins colleagues across the UK in a week-long operation.

Throughout the week officers will be engaging with local communities, including young people, carrying out test purchase operations with retailers and taking part in targeted enforcement activity on those believed to be involved in this type of crime.

You can find out more, including details of knife amnesties here - Week of action focusing on knife crime | Northamptonshire Police