THE HERO MP caught up in the Westminster terror attack has revealed the heartbreaking moment he had to explain to his young son why “there are some bad people in this world”.
Tobias Ellwood, who desperately tried to save PC Keith Palmer’s life back in march, has shared his “vivid memories” of the incident which still haunt him.
In an emotional interview with The Telegraph he urged veterans not to “bottle up” their emotions as he spoke about the attack in which five people were killed by Khalid Masood for the first time.
Mr Ellwood, who had previously been reluctant to discuss publicly what happened, said he had decided to discuss it after launching a new mental health strategy for the Armed Forces.
The Defence Minister said the hardest part of the day was trying to explain to his eight-year-old son what had happened.
The former soldier gave PC Palmer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and applied pressure to stem the flow of blood from his wounds after he was attacked outside the Houses of Parliament.
Describing the aftermath of the incident, Mr Ellwood said: “I think the hardest thing, as well as stepping through with others to try and save Pc Keith Palmer’s life, was coming home and finding my eight-year-old boy on top of the stairs having refused to go to bed.
“It was 10 o’clock at night and he was really confused.
The hero MP has spoken out for the first time to urge veterans not to ‘bottle up their emotions’
The hero MP has spoken out for the first time to urge veterans not to ‘bottle up their emotions’
“He couldn’t understand why a bad person would do what he did and he also couldn’t quite understand why I had then stepped forward in the way that I did.”
He added: “I had to explain to him that there are some bad people in this world.
“There are bad people doing bad things, but there are more good people doing good things, and that’s why we stand up to events such as this.”
He is now encouraging veterans to seek help for mental health issues and not to bottle up their experiences.
He revealed the toughest moment was having to explain why it happened to his young son
Mr Ellwood added: “What I went through is something, but we shouldn’t forget that there are many people who have seen much worse and continue to be affected by it.
“That’s why it is so important for us to have the mental health strategy that we need a veterans support package that is understood and a covenant that obliges councils, businesses and communities to recognise the sacrifice that individuals have given.”
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