Steven Gallant: Bravery medal a symbol of change, says terror attack hero

A convicted killer who helped tackle the Fishmongers' Hall terror attacker said the medal awarded for his bravery would be a symbol of change.

Steven Gallant was serving a life sentence for the murder of Hull firefighter Barrie Jackson when he and three other men confronted Usman Khan in November 2019.

He received the Queen's Gallantry Medal from the Princess Royal on Wednesday.

He said: "[For me] it symbolises more than bravery, it symbolises change."

Steven Gallant, John Crilly and Darryn Frost chased Usman Khan on to the bridge before armed police arrived

Mr Gallant, one of two men convicted of killing Mr Jackson in 2005, had been allowed out on licence for the first time when the incident occurred.

After receiving his medal at Windsor Castle, he said: "I spent many years in prison. Going from that to something like this is a profound change in circumstances and situation. It's unusual.

"It certainly puts a lid on certain things, but I think journeys continue, there's no end, you never know what's around the corner."

"The medal itself for me, it symbolises more than just what happened on London Bridge. It symbolises more than bravery, it symbolises change.

"It doesn't matter who you are, where you are in life. You can make great mistakes but it's never the end and if you work hard and do the right thing, you can still drag yourself out of that pit and do something useful with your life."

Khan, who had two large knives and a fake suicide belt, fatally stabbed Cambridge graduates Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, and injured three other people before running on to London Bridge.

Mr Gallant, who had been attending a prisoner rehabilitation conference at Fishmongers' Hall, helped to wrestle Khan to the ground and held him down on London Bridge before he was shot dead by armed police.

John Crilly and Darryn Frost, who were with Mr Gallant on the bridge, and Lukasz Koczocik, a porter at the hall, were also honoured for their efforts.

The gallantry awards were signed-off by Queen Elizabeth II a week prior to her death last September, aged 96.

Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail]