Policeman shot in eye will not return to Staffordshire force
A policeman shot and blinded in his right eye says a new prosthetic eye has given him back his self-confidence - but he has revealed he will not be returning to the force.
Sgt Jon King, who served with Staffordshire Police for 26 years, had the operation for permanent replacement eye this month. He was blinded after being shot twice with a rubber bullet in October.
His recovery has been watched by thousands through video posts on YouTube.
Sgt King, from Cannock, said: "If I can't go back to frontline policing, I don't want an office job. It's sad but my surgeons have also advised me that I have to protect my good eye and looking at a UV screen all day would cause it to deteriorate."
He said he would be seeking talks with his police bosses about leaving the force.
In the meantime he was preparing his fifth and final online video blog about his eye surgery journey, a process that has helped him come to terms with his injury.
He said: "The first blog got 20,000 hits, it was bananas. I've charted what happened from day one, and I feel it's something I can look back on and be able to see how far I've come."
The father-of-four was blinded in his right eye after being shot twice with a rubber bullet in October while helping ambulance staff in Rugeley to deal with a patient.
He posted a video diary on Youtube to give updates on his recovery earlier this year.
The 48-year-old said he was 'over the moon' with his new eye, a permanent replacement fitted during a delicate operation last Thursday at the City Hospital, Birmingham.
The false eye is attached to the muscles in the back of his eye socket, giving around 70 per cent of movement.
Sgt King said he was delighted with the work of his surgeons, Mr Yajati Ghosh and Mr Ajai Tyagi.
"I can't thank them enough," he said. "The eye looks great and it's given my self-confidence a huge boost."
A 34-year-old man was detained under the Mental Health Act following the incident in Rugeley.
