{"id":276730,"date":"2026-02-02T11:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T11:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/276730\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T11:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T11:00:13","slug":"hero-limerick-bus-driver-says-he-wants-apology-after-he-was-sacked-after-catching-thief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/276730\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Hero\u2019 Limerick bus driver says he wants apology after he was sacked after catching thief"},"content":{"rendered":"

A bus driver originally from Limerick<\/a> who was sacked after he chased down a thief to return a passenger\u2019s stolen necklace said he would \u201cbe very happy\u201d if Metroline apologised \u2013 but does not want to return to his job.<\/p>\n

More than 100,000 people have signed a petition to support Mark Hehir, 62, who was sacked after he chased a thief who stole a passenger\u2019s necklace before knocking them out in self-defence when they returned.<\/p>\n

Mr Hehir, who worked in north-west London but is originally from Limerick<\/a>, Ireland<\/a>, said the support from the public has been \u201cincredible\u201d since an employment tribunal upheld Metrolink\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d be very happy if Metroline made an apology and just admitted that they might have got it wrong.<\/p>\n

.@RicHolden<\/a> @Councillorsuzie<\/a> and I have written to @MayorofLondon<\/a> to ask him to intervene with MetroLine and get Mark a fair resolution-More than 12,000 people have signed the petition https:\/\/t.co\/nIAo1oIL72<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/rcqT4Lpqo8<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Dr Kieran Mullan MP (@KieranMullanUK) January 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like them to compensate me for lost earnings, that\u2019s important, that they understand they got it wrong, that\u2019s important for me,\u201d he told the Press Association.<\/p>\n

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Asked if he would accept his job back, Mr Hehir said: \u201cAbsolutely not, you cannot work for a company that treats its staff like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not saying they treat the drivers bad, I\u2019m just saying if anything does happen, it\u2019s always the driver\u2019s fault, they\u2019ll come down on you heavy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re on your own, you\u2019ve created a situation, now you get out of it, there\u2019s no help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Hehir, who described driving a bus as \u201can underpaid tough job\u201d, said the support he has received online has been \u201cincredible\u201d but he does not think of himself as a \u201chero\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always felt I was justified in my actions, and it just seems that 99.5% of people agree with me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m actually looking for negative responses, and I just can\u2019t find any, I mean, everywhere there\u2019s thousands of messages.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

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An online petition calling for Mr Hehir to be reinstated or compensated, launched by shadow justice minister Dr Kieran Mullan, has gained more than 100,000 signatures.<\/p>\n

A GoFundMe page for Mr Hehir has raised more than \u00a320,000.<\/p>\n

He said that after the 2024 incident \u201cI spent six days in hospital, because I got an infection from the guy\u2019s tooth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI ended up in ICU, I had two operations on my hand because of the infection, I was very, very close to losing my hand, I quote the surgeon, probably in the next three days if I didn\u2019t get it seen to at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Hehir added: \u201cEven in that time I was still employed by the company, not one person from the company, HR or anyone else, rang me to ask how I was, and I thought that was a disgrace.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cNow I did get some help from the union, but that can only go so far.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Mr Hehir, who currently works in a bar, said he was in bed when his story went online: \u201cI didn\u2019t know what was going on, but then my phone just started popping, going crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Politicians have backed the former bus driver with shadow justice minister Dr Kieran Mullan, shadow transport minister Richard Holden and Susan Hall, the leader of the Conservative group on the London Assembly, writing to Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan to demand \u201cserious consideration of reinstatement or appropriate compensation\u201d.<\/p>\n

Former prime minister Boris Johnson wrote on X: \u201cThe sacking of a hero bus driver for knocking out a necklace thief says it all about the wet, woke, legalistic pettifoggers who run Starmer\u2019s Britain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick posted on X: \u201cMetroline should reinstate Mark and apologise for their disgraceful conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Metroline spokesperson said: \u201cThe tribunal has upheld the dismissal as fair.\u201d<\/p>\n