Stabbed cop kept thinking of Hot Fuzz

A policeman who was stabbed trying to protect worshippers at a Birmingham mosque says his life didn't flash before him - but scenes from the film Hot Fuzz did.

PC Adam Koch's been given a bravery medal for his "above and beyond the call of duty" efforts.

He told Newsbeat: "Oddly enough it was a scene from the film Hot Fuzz that kept rolling through my mind. It was where Simon Pegg gets stabbed in the hand by Santa Claus and he says 'it's the most painful thing I've ever experienced.'

"It literally is the most painful thing I've ever experienced."

He tasered the man - but it didn't work.

PC Koch had been called to Madrassa Qasim Ul Uloom centre in June 2013.

All he knew was that someone had been already stabbed and the knifeman had been detained by members of the mosque.

He was with his colleague PC Jean Stevens, who was also given a medal.

"There was a guy lying on the floor covered in blood and the offender was sitting there quite calm."

But as PC Koch told him to show his hands he got up and came for the officer.

He was tasered - but the stun weapon didn't work.

As I pulled open the vest and saw the blood I keeled over PC Adam Koch

"He struck me in the stomach...at the time I just presumed it was a punch I suppose."

But it wasn't - Adam had been stabbed, the first of two serious knife injuries.

"I remember seeing him trying to repeatedly stab me in the back with a black commando style knife and the next thing I remember is being on the floor on top of him with my hands around his wrist trying to disarm him."

Fortunately Adam was wearing a stab vest - which limited the damage.

"I punched him in the face and at that time Jean told me I'd been stabbed."

PC Jean Stevens then arrested the man.

Meanwhile Adam collapsed: "As I pulled open the vest and saw the blood I keeled over."

The knifeman was Mohamoud Elmi - who was eventually declared insane at his trial.

He stabbed three other people that day.

Adam says the rapid response of medical teams saved his life.

He was off work for four months and it's taken two years to be declared fully fit.

He says it's never crossed his mind not to go back on duty:

"We all join to save people, protect people and I'm fortunate that my injury wasn't so bad that I couldn't return to work."

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