Five Essex Police officers who courageously battled to save the life of a woman left catastrophically injured after she was shot by a man with a sawn-off shotgun have won an Essex Police Federation Bravery Award.

Five Essex Police officers who courageously battled to save the life of a woman left catastrophically injured after she was shot by a man with a sawn-off shotgun have won an Essex Police Federation Bravery Award.

Insp Sian Parry, Sgt Adam Jarvis, PC Oliver Herring, Acting Sgt Nicola Drake and PC Chris Wentworth have all been recognised for their role in trying to resuscitate the woman who was shot by her partner during a domestic abuse incident in Southend.

They will now join colleagues from across the county being celebrated at the prestigious 2021 Essex Police Federation Bravery Awards.

Sgt Jarvis and PC Wentworth were on patrol in the early evening of 13 January 2019 when they were alerted to an incident at flat complex on Sutton Road in the town.

On arrival, the officers climbed the stairs to gain access to the flat. They forced entry to the address and were met by a man who appeared to have injured his chin as it was bleeding. The officers immediately arrested the man, Michael Strudwick, before PC Herring and Acting Sgt Drake arrived to help their colleagues search the property for more occupants.

When they got to the lounge, they were confronted with the most horrific of scenes. A woman, later identified as Christie Walshe, was slumped over the back of the sofa with blood all over her clothes. Large spots of blood were all over the carpet, and at first sight, she appeared to be dead.

As the officers approached, they could see that much of the left side of her face was missing. The injury she had received was so severe it had destroyed her nasal cavity and her upper and lower jaw. The left-hand side of her mouth had been torn off.

The officers spotted a sawn-off shotgun lying next to her on the sofa. PC Herring warned colleagues about the presence of the weapon.

Having secured the safety of the shotgun, the officers began to try and see if Christie was still alive. Paramedics had just arrived on the scene, and having triaged the situation, they set up a heart monitor to check for a pulse and any signs of life.

Discovering some heart activity, the officers and the paramedics got the woman to the floor, where they all took turns in giving her CPR.

Insp Parry arrived minutes after the other officers at the scene and after checking on the welfare of her team assisted the paramedics and officers who continued to work on saving Christie’s life.

The officers were still trying to bring Christie around alongside the paramedics. Through their determined diligence, they managed to secure an output from the horrifically injured woman. Christie was transferred to The Royal London Hospital, Insp Parry made a number of enquiries and established the details of Christie’s Daughter, she arranged for the Metropolitan Police to collect her and take her to the hospital to be with her mother.

Sadly, due to the severity of Christie’s injuries and despite the incredible efforts of the teams to keep her alive, Christie eventually passed away two days later.

The officers had been wearing body-worn cameras throughout the horrific incident, which prompted Strudwick to plead guilty to Christie’s murder.

Strudwick was sentenced at Basildon Crown Court to life imprisonment. In sentencing, the Judge noted the herculean efforts of the officers and the paramedic teams as they battled, sadly in vain, to keep Christie alive.

Insp Parry said the tragic and harrowing incident highlighted the unknown dangers officers often have to face.

“We really didn’t know what to expect,” she said.

“What we did know was that we had to get to the scene as fast as possible to potentially try and save one or two people’s lives. The team who attended this incident were all very experienced, so automatically knew what we needed to do and got on with it.

“This highlights that we as police officers face unknown dangers every day.”

Despite the horrific circumstances of this incident, incredibly Insp Parry says she and her fellow officers were ‘just doing their job.’

“Every single person at the scene did absolutely everything they could to save Christie’s life despite the unexpected and horrific scene that we walked into,” she said.

“To us, we were doing our jobs, but this incident could have ended differently had the male still been armed with the shotgun when we forced entry to the address. I think the reality of that can take some time to get over.”

Acting Sgt Drake said: “It is an honour and a privilege to be nominated for the Awards. We were only doing our jobs and don’t feel we have done anything more than our colleagues would have done in the same situation.

“The recognition that we are receiving is nice. However, we all recognise that this has come from a tragic incident which has affected a number of people.”

Essex Police Federation Chair Laura Heggie said the officers had demonstrated incredible determination to try and save a life in what were absolutely horrifying circumstances.

“They were incredible from start to finish,” she said, “and it’s difficult to imagine the scene that they were presented with.

“To have the determination to try and help poor Christie against all the odds says all you need to know about the character and professionalism of these officers.

“They are very deserving of this nomination, and we are extraordinarily proud of them all.”

The five officers will attend the Essex Police Federation Bravery Awards – which will combine celebrating 2020 and 2021 winners – in Essex in September. Overall winners for both years will be announced and they will go on to compete in the National Police Bravery Awards.

The Essex Police Federation Bravery Awards are sponsored by Uniform Mortgages.