Jamie Ingram,who works for Westpac,knocked Ney to the ground and pinned him down with a chair as others jumped on with a second chair and a milk crate. He is to receive the Stanhope Gold Medal awarded by the UK’s Royal Humane Society. It will either be presented in London by Princess Alexandra or in Sydney by NSW Governor Margaret Beazley.
Jamie Ingram in Wynyard Lane where he was the first man in to bring down killer Mert Ney.Brook Mitchell
The Sun-Heraldhas learnt that Joanne Dunn,the mother of Michaela Dunn,24,who was stabbed to death in the attack,died recently. In a statement read out at court in March last year Dunn said she missed her daughter’s beautiful eyes,the touch of her hands,her conversations,“and even our arguments”,but “most of all,I miss four magical words:‘I love you,Mum’.”
Ney,shouted “Allah Akbar” as he sprinted down the street waving a knife. He had a USB stick that contained a video of the Christchurch mosque shooting when he was arrested. He was sentenced to 44 years in prison after admitting to murder,telling the court his actions were meant to ensure he was killed by police.
Ingram,who served as an infantry soldier and lives in Pyrmont,was also awarded the NSW Royal Humane Society’s Gold Medal for bravery and its Galleghan Award – for the most outstanding act of bravery in a year.
Ingram,speaking from the where he confronted Ney in Wynyard Lane by the Bopp&Tone bar,said:“I got to be about a metre and a half from[Ney] and he was looking at me and I was looking at him. I was really trying to get him to focus on me rather than the pedestrians. I didn’t want him lashing out.
Jamie Ingram (red tie) knocked Mert Ney to the ground before trapping him with a chair.Nine News
“My wife Renee said we need to have a talk about your need to run towards the fire instead of away from the fire. I am very community-centric. I’m very aware of what’s going on around me,that’s part military training ... and if I can see someone that needs a bit of help I feel then that’s what I need to do.
“What I hope for is that through the community we can get back to that mateship where it is OK to look after your mates,it’s OK to be a bit involved. I think over time we have lost a little bit of that.”
The young woman who was stabbed in the back,and seen on television footage being helped by paramedics,has spoken of the attack in August 2019 for the first time.
Linda Bo,who was walking with a colleague when she was attacked,has since quit her city job in a shipping office and has not been able to return to the CBD since.
Linda Bo has not returned to the CBD since she was stabbed.Brook Mitchell
Bo said she had watched the news footage of the men tackling the killer and said they were all heroes. “They are so brave. I just want to express my respect and admiration for them.
“I didn’t know what happened,I was just walking with my colleague. I was stabbed in the left shoulder. It is very hard for me to go back to the CBD. I have PTSD and my psychiatrist and psychologist have encouraged me to go step by step. It is in my subconscious,it is hard to forget it.”
The citation by the Royal Humane Society,established in 1774,says of Ingram:“Jamie,who was leading the chase,realised that the diners could not avoid being attacked and so he bravely closed in on the man and hit him from behind with a cafe chair. This knocked the[attacker] to the ground causing him to momentarily drop the knife.
“Another man shoved a plastic milk crate over the[attacker’s] head,pinning him by the throat,while Jamie and one other pinned him with cafe chairs and stood on his limbs. The offender was captured by Ingram and a courageous group of citizens who had come together so as to bring his violent,terrifying and chaotic rampage to an end.”
John Hoban of the Royal Humane Society of NSW said Jamie was the bravest of the brave. “One of our key aims is to honour people like him,so people will be encouraged to emulate that sort of brave action and step in.”
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