Westminster Bridge attack anniversary: Hero police officer paralysed when terrorist rammed him with a 4×4 reveals heartbreaking reason he never received a medal

A hero police officer who was paralysed for life eight years ago today in the 2017 Westminster Bridge terror attack has revealed the heartbreaking reason he never received a medal.

PC Kris Aves, then-35, was walking across Westminster Bridge to go celebrate a commendation award with his colleagues colleagues PC Roger Smith and PC Bradley Bryant when he was struck by a 4×4 car driven by terrorist Khalid Masood on March 22, 2017.

When Kris woke up from an induced coma more than a week later, he couldn’t remember what happened.

As he lay in his hospital bed with tubes down his throat, unable to speak, Kris’s family described how terrorist Masood killed mother-of-two Aysha Frade, US tourist Kurt Cochran and retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes by ramming them with his car on Westminster Bridge.

They then told Kris the deranged attacker had stabbed fellow police officer Keith Palmer to death inside the grounds of Parliament before cops shot and killed the terrorist.

Kris was one of 48 people injured in the attack. One injured woman, Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, was knocked into the Thames from the bridge. She died just over two weeks later, taking the death toll to five.

The murderous rampage lasted just 82 seconds but devastated dozens of lives. Ahead of the anniversary of the tragedy, Kris, now 43, revealed his daily agony caused by the attack – and the reason why he never received a medal.

The former police officer told MailOnline: ‘I have been left paralysed [from my] chest area down. There were numerous injuries that day. Lacerations to the head, to my ear, to my elbow. Compound fractures to the bones in my legs, so I have metalwork from my knees down to my ankles. The serious injury was the dislocation of my spine, hence now the paralysis.

‘I suffer nerve pain, spasms, when my legs go solid. Sometimes the nerve pain can be the soles of my foot and it’s like someone is holding a lighter and they won’t remove it. I don’t think I’ve had a full night’s sleep since my injury.’ 

Retracing the moments before the attack, he said: ‘I was attending an award ceremony. The September before it was the Brexit marches through London. I helped out. One of the police commanders recognised the work we did and put us up for an award.

‘On March 22, 2017, I attended the New Scotland Yard award ceremony. I went along, received the award, had the old coffee and croissants with the bigwigs, shook hands and had pictures taken. 

‘And then three of us said we would cross the bridge, go down to Lambeth and head out for a beer and burger to celebrate. 

‘My last memory of that day was I was downstairs outside New Scotland Yard and I’d left my umbrella upstairs.

‘I was like, ”Do I go and get it, or do I call someone to bring it down to Lambeth for me?” 

‘It’s one of those sliding doors moments. If I had gone upstairs and got it, I would have missed everything by 10 minutes.

‘That’s my last memory of the day. My next memory is eight or nine days later I woke up from an induced coma in hospital, tubes down my throat, parents and partner by my side, doctors in the room.

‘They explained everything to me of what happened. The doctors said about the spinal cord injury and not being able to walk.

‘I’m quite a positive person. Yes I shed a tear. Yes I was angry. But that only really lasted five or ten minutes. 

‘When the doctor turned around and said, ”You’ve got a 0.05 per cent chance of walking again,” I was like, ”well listen, that means there is a chance.”’

Although almost a decade later Kris remains unable to walk, he has remained active and still plays golf by using a specially-designed disability buggy, even representing England at the Nations Cup last year.

Now he has also added his name to the growing number supporting fellow former police officer Tom Curry’s campaign for a medal for injured members of the 999 community of police officers, firefighters and ambulance workers.

Although Kris is thankful for the support the Metropolitan Police gave him, he has joined the campaign, which is also backed by 140 MPs.  

Last year, the posthumous Elizabeth Emblem was introduced to honour public servants who died in the line of duty. But there is no such recognition for people injured who had to quit the jobs they lived protecting the public.

Kris said: ‘It seems unfair that you have to have been killed in the line of duty to be recognised. That is wrong. 

‘There are officers who put their lives in the line of duty everyday.  

‘It’s very sad the ones who get killed and my heart goes out to all of them and their families. 

‘They are recognised for the role they played in their police force with the Elizabeth emblem.

‘But then, what about the people that went to work, got injured and could no longer carry on doing the job they loved?

‘That’s been taken away from them at no fault of their own. Yes, we didn’t die that day we were injured, but our careers did die.

‘There’s 16,000 injured police officers. 

‘Let’s say you go to a memorial service and you’re able-bodied but you’ve been injured on duty, someone might look at you and not know who you are,.

‘You’re not wearing a medal to show you’re here to show your respect but you were also injured in the line of duty as well.

‘Listen, I’ve got a chair to show for that. But a big thing for me is recognition. 

‘[I’d just like] a little bit from the police forces, the ambulance, doctors, the 999 family to recognize that we are important and still remembered. We’re not asking for the world. 

‘My story was a nationwide story. It hit every newspaper in the world, probably.

‘But for the officers that went to work and maybe have been in a car collision or who got stabbed – when it happened it may have made their local newspaper and that’s it.

‘People are definitely forgotten about, 1,000 per cent.

‘Keith Palmer [on the day I was injured], that police officer tried to protect the public and Parliament and sadly lost his life. 

‘I’m not taking anything away from that.

‘We’re just saying that there are other people that were working each and every day and yes, they didn’t die, but their lives were ruined.’

Tom Curry, who organised the campaign, told MailOnline: ‘How can it ever be right to honour the fallen but not the severely injured unless they die? I seek to correct this national disgrace.

‘The next of kin of those killed, back to 1948, are now eligible to receive the Elizabeth Emblem but the surviving injured still receive nothing even though their actions were identical to the fallen. 

‘Many suffered harrowingly catastrophic injuries such as brain damage and are confined to a wheelchair as is Kris Aves.

‘Whilst I applaud the introduction of the long-overdue introduction last year of the posthumous Elizabeth Emblem, it does not cover those who narrowly escape death and survive but suffer life-changing injuries and the loss of a career.

‘Many of those affected are deprived only by the injury of gaining their 20-year Long Service and Good Conduct Medal and thus leave the service without anything whatsoever to display at such events as Remembrance Days to show a connection to the service let alone their great health and job sacrifice.

‘Outside of the rarely awarded gallantry medals, there is no available medal recognition and that is why there is an urgent need for this.

‘It is little wonder that people from the 999 service who have been injured feel overlooked and worthless.’

These days, Kris spends his time advocating for disabled people, playing golf and organising charity events, such as the Cairns Cup USA vs Europe golf tournament, and supporting Spurs.

But he can never forget the terror attack that paralysed him and he admitted there are days when he gets down.

He said: ‘It was a terrorist attack. People lost their lives. I lost the ability to walk. 

‘My first thought was sadness, anger. 

‘Where I used to live, my neighbours were Muslim. My partner at the time said in hospital, ”They’re worried you’re going to dislike them because the [terrorist] was Muslim.”

‘I said they had got nothing to worry about. This guy wasn’t a proper Muslim was he? He was a fanatic.’

‘My kids were four and six at the time. For the majority of my time in hospital the kids just thought I was hit by a car. It wasn’t until a couple of years later , maybe more, that they knew about it being a terrorist attack.

‘It’s hard to keep stories away from the playground. 

‘One of the hardest things for me was being away from them all that time. I used to see them on weekends because it wasn’t until  a good six months in hospital that I was allowed to go home on weekends, but because my house wasn’t adapted I had to stay in a Travelodge so it was quite tough.

‘Now I have to wear splints on my legs to keep certain angles. There’s the hidden disability as well. With nerve pain I suffer really badly in my legs and feet.

‘It’s the invisible stuff as well. The bladder, bowels, sexual function. Because of that, you have to take the medication for them as well.

To go to the toilet I have to catheterize. It’s not a quick nip to the toilet.’

Despite his life-changing injuries, Kris is always keen to help others. 

Addressing fellow 999 servicemen and women at start of their injury journey, he said: ‘It’s very hard to be positive and I understand many people can fall into depression, not make contact with people.

‘But that’s the biggest thing. Speak to family, speak to friends, speak to colleagues. Keep talking. 

‘Keep yourself entertained. Try and get yourself out and about if you can because it’s a slippery slope.’

He added: ‘Life’s tricky. I try and make it work – I’m still here, I’m still smiling, that’s the main thing.’

• Members of the 999 family who were forced to quit their jobs because of injuries sustained in the line of duty can join Tom Curry’s campaign group here.