A detective from Northern Ireland who survived a murder attempt has said he feels “honoured” after receiving the King’s Police Medal.
Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell, who survived a dissident republican murder bid, was presented with the medal by the Princess Royal at Buckingham Palace.
It comes after he was recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours list earlier this year.
READ MORE: PSNI detective to sue BBC over comments aired during Katie Simpson documentary
READ MORE: PSNI officers’ confidence in intelligence ‘shaken by Caldwell shooting’
Mr Caldwell was shot a number of times in front of his son by dissident republicans at a sports complex in Omagh, Co Tyrone, on February 22 2023.
He was packing up after coaching a youth football team when he was targeted.
The detective, who had investigated a number of high-profile murder cases, spent several weeks in intensive care.
Speaking to the PA news agency on Thursday, Mr Caldwell said: “I’m feeling very happy, feel very privileged, feel very honoured to be firstly nominated and then to receive such a very nice medal from the King.”
“I’ve been impacted, obviously, the attack upon me: I was shot nine times. I’m still recovering from those injuries.”
“But the recovery is going very well. That’s thanks to the medical teams and thanks to the support from family and friends and from my wife and my son.”
He added: “(The) Princess Royal was very aware of who I was and very aware of the incident that I came through, and just wished me very well.”
Click this link or scan the QR code to receive breaking news and top stories from Belfast Live. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
Story Saved
You can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.
