A Monaco policeman has been awarded one of France’s highest awards, the National Order of Merit, for his bravery while off duty almost three years ago.

Shopping for flowers for his mother at Conad, in Latte, just across the border from Menton, Johann Jorquera saw a man and a woman in a violent argument in the car park. When he intervened, he was attacked by the man and the two fell to the ground. Both had been bloodied in the fight.

When the carabinieri arrived, they informed Johann that his assailant was a well-known drug addict who was suffering from AIDS and Hepatitis C. At Princess Grace Hospital, he was told there was a 50-percent chance that he had been infected in the altercation.

Johann, a resident of Castellar who was born in Monaco, had to undergo debilitating medical treatment during which at times he slept 20 hours a day. Constantly vomiting and faint, he lost eleven kilos. There followed a long course of therapy to restore his immune system, but the verdict, when it came, was a huge relief. Johann was not HIV positive.

On receiving the award for his bravery from the French Ambassador to Monaco, Mme Marine de Carné-Trécesson, Johann said: “I am extremely proud today and I am very pleased. I am a policeman and it is normal that I render service. Being a police officer is 24 hours a day. It’s a state of mind, not a function. If I had closed my eyes, I would not have been able to sleep.”

Monaco’s Director of Public Security was also present at the Maison de France on Tuesday to pay tribute to the police officer. “The gesture of Johann Jorquera is a strong act which should serve as an example to all his colleagues.”

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