A woman who saved her twin sister’s life by punching a crocodile in the face will be honoured for her bravery in the King’s first Civilian Gallantry List.
Georgia Laurie, a 31-year-old from Sandhurst, was bitten in the arm while fighting the reptile off as it dragged Melissa underwater and attacked her three times, while they were swimming at a lagoon in the Mexican state of Oaxaca in June 2021.
Both women were seriously hurt, with Melissa developing sepsis as a result of her wounds, but survived after treatment – with Georgia now set to receive the King’s Gallantry Medal.
“It’s an honour. I was so shocked as well when I received the letter because I didn’t see it coming, I didn’t expect it,” said Ms Laurie, adding: “I feel really privileged, it’s a silver lining to have come out of the terrible ordeal … it kind of softens the whole traumatic experience.
“It’s been a good thing for not just me but for the whole family. I feel like I have to share it with my sister because, let’s face it, I don’t think I would have been nominated for it if she didn’t survive.
“What’s made this story so incredible is Melissa’s unwavering bravery throughout it all because she was so strong during it and I don’t think I would be here without her, she really gave me the strength to keep fighting.”
Melissa suffered an open fracture to her wrist, severe puncture wounds to the abdomen and multiple injuries to her leg and foot, while Georgia was bitten on her hand.
Georgia added: “The further away it gets, the less it feels real. But then something like this happens and it puts it all back into perspective again, like wow, that actually did happen, it’s a crazy story. Because when you think about it, it does sound like a horror movie, but it is a part of our life, it’s part of the tapestry of our life.”
This year’s Civilian Gallantry List, which includes nine people, is the first to be approved by the King, who was crowned last year on 6 May.
Also set to receive the medal is police constable Zach Printer, who confronted gunman Jake Davison while himself unarmed on 12 August 2021 in Plymouth, after Davison killed his mother before shooting dead three-year-old Sophie Martyn, her father Lee, 43, Stephen Washington, 59, and Kate Shepherd, 66.
Mr Printer was attending to Ms Shepherd when he saw Davison carrying the firearm, immediately sprinting towards the 22-year-old, telling him to stand still, and hoping that he could talk him down. But Davison – who had his pump-action shotgun positioned under his own chin – pulled the trigger.
The officer was acknowledged for his “selfless and brave actions” while confronting Davison, which prevented further harm to others.
Among the other recipients of the medal is police constable Steven Denniss, who was stabbed in the leg while apprehending a double-murder suspect while off duty in Louth, Lincolnshire.
Mr Denniss was walking his dog at Hubbard’s Hills on 1 June 2021 when he spotted Daniel Boulton, who was wanted for the murder of his 26-year-old former girlfriend Bethany Vincent and her nine-year-old son Darren Henson the previous evening.
Without any protective equipment, Mr Denniss attempted to detain Boulton until colleagues arrived, and was stabbed by him while on the phone to colleagues.
The officer chased Boulton until he was joined by armed officers, before the suspect was arrested and later jailed for life with a minimum term of 40 years.
Also on the King’s list are Lawrie Elsdon-Dew, for protecting others during fierce fighting outside the British embassy in Sudan in April 2023, and Stacey Farrington and Jake Walker, who stopped a speeding car travelling the wrong way on a motorway using an ambulance.
The King’s Commendation for Bravery was awarded to Stephen Ellison, who rescued a stranger from a river in Chongqing, China, in November 2020.
Chhaganlal Jagaita – who helped people out of a burning hotel in Mati, Greece, in July 2018 – and Paul Martin, who intervened during a knife attack in April 2021, also receive recognition.
Those honoured in the late Queen’s final Civilian Gallantry List included five individuals – Steven Gallant, John Crilly, Darryn Frost and Lukasz Koczocik – who fought with Fishmonger’s Hall terrorist Usman Khan in November 2019, and Adam Roberts, who risked his life to protect one of the wounded victims.
Additional reporting by PA