How a Patient’s Hug Won the George Medal After Foiling a Leeds Hospital Bombing
Nathan Newby, a patient at St James’ Hospital, will receive the george medal after hugging and talking down Mohammad Farooq, who had brought a viable pressure-cooker bomb to the hospital. The intervention unfolded in the early hours of 20 January 2023 (ET) outside the maternity wing at St James’ Hospital in Leeds when Newby stepped out for a vape and spotted Farooq looking agitated. He spent two hours persuading the would-be attacker to abandon the plan, deliberately moving him away from the entrance and keeping him calm while authorities later took legal action.
George Medal and the act that saved a hospital
Newby approached Farooq after noticing him fidgeting near a lone bag about six feet away. When he asked what was inside, Farooq opened the bag and revealed a pressure cooker rigged with what was later described in court as roughly 10kg of explosives. Rather than flee or raise the alarm in a way that might trigger the device, Newby stayed with Farooq, talking, soothing and, at one point, hugging him to prevent panic. He deliberately moved the man away from the hospital doors to benches a short distance away to reduce the potential radius of harm.
The device was later described at trial as comparable in destructive potential to other large homemade bombs; jurors heard it was substantial and capable of mass casualties if detonated at the maternity entrance. Farooq, who worked at the hospital, was convicted of preparing acts of terrorism and sentenced to a minimum of 37 years in prison by Sheffield Crown Court.
Immediate reactions from those involved
“I hate going into hospitals but on that day, I was in there for a reason and it was not to get better; I was in there because that was happening, ” said Nathan Newby, patient at St James’ Hospital, describing why he had gone outside and then stayed with Farooq. Newby explained he asked about the device’s radius and moved the pair away from the building’s busiest access point.
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, sentencing judge at Sheffield Crown Court, told the court that Newby’s conduct had been extraordinary. The judge described his decency and kindness as having prevented an atrocity in a maternity wing of a major hospital and called his testimony among the most remarkable she had heard in court.
Context and legal outcome
The events took place on 20 January 2023 (ET). Farooq, who had been employed at the hospital, was characterized at trial as a self-radicalised lone-wolf attacker with a grievance against colleagues. He was convicted of preparing acts of terrorism; the court heard details of the device and its intended use, and issued a custodial sentence with a minimum term of 37 years.
What’s next: recognition and continued legal aftermath
Newby is set to be honoured with the george medal for his role in averting mass casualties; the formal award of the george medal will mark public recognition of his actions. The case remains anchored in the criminal sentence handed down at Sheffield Crown Court, and attention will remain on the legacy of the attack and how hospitals assess and protect against similar threats in the future.
