Shot police officer’s email to Newark MP Robert Jenrick unanswered over campaign for medals for injured emergency service personnel

A police officer shot on duty has called on his MP to back a campaign for injured emergency service personnel — only for his emails to go unanswered until the Advertiser intervened.

Gary Pearson, now 71, was shot at close range while on special duties with Greater Manchester Police in 1983, causing him to lose and eye and need facial reconstruction.

This effectively halted his short but prestigious career in frontline policing, during which he had worked as a firearms officer in Salford and been selected to guard Pope John Paul II during his visit to Manchester.

Gary, who has lived in the Newark area since 2012, has backed a campaign started by former Sussex police officer Tom Curry for seriously injured emergency services personnel to be honoured with medals.

“On November 15, 1983, I was on special duties teaching Saudi Arabian bodyguards anti-ambush techniques in the Kielder Forest in Scotland,” Gary said.

“I was shot point-blank in the face with a .38 revolver and it was all covered up. When I was taken to hospital it was on lockdown, I was told not to call my wife. They didn’t know at this point if I was going to die.

“The only recognition I’d get is this campaign — other than that I have nothing. If I’d died that day I would have got the Elizabeth Medal.”

The campaign already has the support of many MPs, and Gary tried to approach his MP, Robert Jenrick, to ask him to get behind the initiative.

However, despite numerous emails sent to Mr Jenrick’s office between November 2024 and February 2025, Gary said that he received no response other than automated acknowledgements of receipt.

“I pointed out as an injured, retired police officer, I was asking if they would support the campaign,” he said.

“Some of these people have had no recognition, I don’t have anything at all to say I was in the police and I was injured. There’s hundreds of people like me I didn’t know about.

“I’ve always voted Conservative because they gave us our first pay rise, and I’ve never ever contacted an MP and asked for anything before.

“I’m absolutely incensed he’d not even had the decency to just say it’s not something he’d like to support.”

It wasn’t until the Advertiser made contact with the MP’s office that an apologetic response came — six months since Gary first emailed.

Now, he has arranged to meet with Mr Jenrick at his constituency office on Friday, where he will discuss the campaign.

“I’d do anything for this campaign, to be honest,” Gary said.

“I’ll see what he’s got to say on Friday. I need to know if he can do anything about the proposal.”

For Gary, the recognition for his injury in the line of duty would be the first acknowledgement he’d had for his sacrifice over a total of 17 years of service.

He first became an officer in 1972, aged 19, with Manchester and Salford Police, having been a police cadet since age 17.

He remained through the amalgamation into Greater Manchester Police in 1974, and served as a firearms officer in Salford where he described people “using firearms like knifes and forks”.

Gary faced down gunmen four times during his career, even taking on one alone — something he says there was never any recognition for.

“You were just treated as though no one cares,” he added.

“You may go through this trauma, your family may go through this trauma, you may be disfigured — no-one thinks to say ‘here lad, here’s a certificate, well done’.”

After the shooting, Gary was kept on in an office based role with the force as he was no longer fit for street duties with one eye. He eventually retired from the force in 1989.

Tom Curry said: “I started the campaign back in the summer of 2023 to correct the national scandal of overlooking severely injured emergency services personnel.

“The campaign continues to gain momentum and currently has the declared support of 168 cross-party MPs. Sadly Robert Jenrick is not one of those and his office continues to ignore their constituent, Gary Pearson's repeated lobbying.

“This is totally unacceptable and especially given Gary Pearson's harrowing case as a former police officer shot in the face. It was hushed up and Gary still to this day does not know what happened to his attacker.

“To receive official medal recognition for these brave public servants will not change their lives or make it any easier but it will finally show a small token of appreciation for their health sacrifice, currently they have nothing.

“There are thousands of deserving potential recipients and none more so than Gary Pearson.”

Tom has also written a book — Eyeshot 40 Year Search for the Truth — which recounts Gary’s story.

Robert Jenrick’s office has been approached for comment, but has not responded.

A government spokesman said: “The Government is happy to consider the case for any new medal or award, subject to comprehensive assessment across relevant departments.

“Advice on new awards sit with the committee on the grant of honours, decoration and medals, which provides recommendations to His Majesty, The King. Ultimately the decision to create a new awards rests with HM The King.”