Armed man at Bradford A&E stopped by brave hospital worker

Dean Priestley said he had sympathy for the man, who was in distress

A hospital worker who disarmed a man who walked into an A&E brandishing an imitation gun and demanding to be seen has been given a bravery award.

Security officer Dean Priestley did not know the gun was a replica when the man pointed it at a porter at Bradford Royal Infirmary in October 2020.

Mr Priestley calmly asked the man to hand him the weapon and sat with him.

He said he had felt "a million times more nervous" about collecting his bravery medal than during the incident.

Mr Priestley, 41, was called to the X-ray area where the man had drawn the gun from his pocket and pointed it at a hospital porter.

The man then turned the gun on his own head before aiming it back at the porter.

Former volunteer Army reservist Mr Priestley approached the man and calmly asked him to hand over the gun, which he did.

He then sat talking to the 27-year-old to keep him calm until police arrived.

The man later pleaded guilty to possession of an imitation firearm, a gas-powered BB gun, with intent to cause fear of violence. He received a prison sentence, a Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust spokesperson said.

The incident took place at Bradford Royal Infirmary in October 2020

Father-of-two Mr Priestley said: "With situations like this, you have to assume that the weapon is genuine and it was only when he handed it to me that I could tell it was a replica because of the weight.

"But you cannot take the risk and I was concerned for colleagues and patients as this is a busy area."

He added: "I did have sympathy for him as he was very distressed."

'Credit to the team'

Mr Priestley, who has been awarded a medal for bravery by the Royal Humane Society, insisted the situation was resolved thanks to a team effort.

"Shortly after arriving in A&E, my colleagues, who did not have to come to help, followed. We always work as a team and have each other's backs," he said.

"I didn't really think about myself when I got the call to assist. To be honest I've been a million more times nervous thinking about going to collect the medal."

Mark Holloway, the hospital's director of estates and facilities, said Mr Priestley had put "the safety of colleagues and patients before himself" and was a "credit" to the team.