Hero pensioner who tried to save Jo Cox dies
Bernard Kenny, 79, pictured, has died after 'never fully recovering' from stab injuries he sustained while trying to save murdered MP Jo Cox last year
The hero former miner who tried to protect murdered MP Jo Cox from a knifeman has died aged 79 after 'never fully recovering'.
Bernard Kenny intervened when Thomas Mair attacked Mrs Cox in Birstall, West Yorkshire, in June 2016.
He was seriously injured by Mair, 53, and received the George Medal for bravery earlier this year alongside the two police officers who arrested the killer.
His son Phil Kenny, 58, confirmed that his father died on Monday morning.
Mr Kenny was awarded the George Medal for his bravery this June, and in a statement said he was 'honoured to receive such an award'.
PC Craig Nicholls and PC Jonathan Wright both received the Queen's Gallantry Medal.
Tracy Brabin, who was elected MP for Batley and Spen after the death of Mrs Cox, described the have-a-go hero as 'brave and selfless' following his death.
There were numerous calls after Mrs Cox's murder for Mr Kenny to be honoured by the nation, including a petition aimed at securing him the George Cross - the highest possible civilian honour.
At Mair's trial at the Old Bailey, the jury heard that the pensioner was waiting for his wife outside the library in Birstall when he saw Mair going 'berserk'.
He said in a statement to police: 'I thought if I could jump on to the back, I could take him down.
'I thought he was thumping her until I saw the blood. I saw he had a knife in his hands. It was what I call a dagger. The blade was about nine inches.
'Just as I got short of him, he turned around and saw me. He shoved the knife in and it hit me in the stomach. The blood started pouring out between my fingers. I saw the blood and I thought 'Oh my God'.'
Mr Kenny, left, previously revealed he was outside the library in Birstall when he saw Thomas Mair go 'berserk' and attack Mrs Cox, right, and tried to save her
Mr Kenny described Mair's actions as a 'pure act of evil'.
After the attack, more than 80,000 people signed an online petition calling for Mr Kenny to be awarded the George Cross for his bravery.
Mr Kenny, who shared a birthday with Mrs Cox, worked as a miner for 40 years and is a former member of the Gomersal Mines Rescue team which tried to save victims of the Lofthouse mine disaster in 1973.
Neo-Nazi Mair was given a whole life sentence for the murder of Mrs Cox, and was also found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm to Mr Kenny and possession of a gun and dagger.
Mair, left, was jailed for life for murdering Mrs Cox, right, in late 2017 after a seven-day trial at the Old Bailey
Mining rescue hero Bernard Kenny, pictured third from left with his helmet poised in his right hand and poppy displayed in left lapel, stands to attention in a commemorative photo. Listed simply as B Kenny he is pictured with team members as 'Miners in Yorkshire Remember' their war dead
As reported by MailOnline, Mr Kenny conducted another act of heroism more than 40 years ago, when he was part of a team trying to save victims of the Lofthouse mining disaster.
Mr Kenny - an athletic and keen swimmer - was a member of the Gomersal Mines Rescue Team which tried to rescue victims of the 1973 disaster, in which seven men lost their lives in a flooded pit.
In an interview to mark the 30th anniversary he recalled: 'The conditions we had to work in were rough. I've never seen conditions like it and I never want to see them again. It was very bad.
Kim Leadbeater, the sister of Labour MP Jo Cox (pictured with her father), described Mr Kenny as an 'amazing man' after the attack
'We never gave up, but it was rough. You were up to your neck in water and breathing apparatus was needed because there was a high percentage of gas.
'But we went on with it because you ought to do. It was your duty to try and help them and it was sad when it had to be called off.'
He said he didn't believe they got anywhere near the trapped men, adding: 'Nobody really knew where they were and when you saw what damage it had caused you just thought to yourself 'well, I don't think we ever will find anybody'.
'But you kept on hoping and kept on looking.'
Jo Cox's sports teacher sister Kim Leadbeater, 40, paid tribute to Mr Kenny in the days after the MP's death.
She said: 'Our thoughts and thanks go to his family and we wish him well in his recovery. What an amazing man.'
She added: 'There are some evil people in this world but there are an awful lot of good people too.'