PC Joe Gerrard suffered a punctured a lung and was unable to work for about a year as a result of the stabbing.
He spoke to BBC London ahead of the sentencing of his attacker Mohammed Rahman for attempted murder.
At Kingston Crown Court on Friday, 25-year-old Rahman was given a life sentence. He received a minimum prison term of 20 years.
Details of the incident
Rahman stabbed PC Gerrard and his colleague PC Alannah Mulhall after they responded to a report of a drink being spiked at a nightclub in Soho, on 16 September 2022.
PC Mulhall sustained a deep knife wound to her arm.
Victim impact statement
PC Gerrard said he was left ‘absolutely dripping in blood’ and struggling to breathe. I knew it was serious and I was thinking ”I’m probably going to die here”,’ he said.
Recounting the events leading up to the stabbing, PC Gerrard said he and another female colleague were joined by PC Mulhall and a male officer to deal with the drink-spiking report.
PC Mulhall and the other female officer took the disorientated victim to an ambulance, where a member of the public approached them and said Rahman had taken his phone at knifepoint.
At this point, PC Gerrard and his male colleague were making inquiries inside the club.
‘When we were in the ambulance, I can hear an argument going on outside,’ PC Mulhall said.
‘[It] sounds a bit silly but I’ve never had a gut feeling in my life about anything, but the second I saw the suspect walking towards us, I knew something wasn’t right.’
The two female officers approached Rahman and he lunged at them before running off.
PC Gerrard and his colleague soon found the other two officers. Rahman reappeared and was Tasered, but it had little effect due to his thick clothing.
‘He was intent on killing one of us’
‘It’s clear he was intent on killing one of us,’ said PC Gerrard, who tried to restrain him but was stabbed in the arm.
Rahman then turned to PC Mulhall and stabbed her right arm, cutting her down to the bone. ‘it all happened so quick,’ she said.
Backup helped out
Backup had arrived and Rahman was Tasered again, at which point he dropped his knife.
PC Gerrard tried to kick the knife away from Rahman but the 25-year-old got back up, punched the officer and grabbed the knife again.
‘He then grabbed hold of me, grabbed hold of my body-worn camera, and he was just repeatedly stabbing me,’ PC Gerrard said.
Rahman was finally restrained when he was Tasered once more.
