Hartlepool mum's disgust at people who filmed daughter choking

The mum of a little girl whose life was saved after she choked on a chicken nugget has told of her disgust that some members of the public recorded the ordeal on their mobile telephones.
Millie Wise with Middleton Grange Shopping Centre senior security officer Ste Dawkin (right), Nana Sandra Longmoor and security supervisor Adam Goodwin. Picture by FRANK REIDMillie Wise with Middleton Grange Shopping Centre senior security officer Ste Dawkin (right), Nana Sandra Longmoor and security supervisor Adam Goodwin. Picture by FRANK REID
Millie Wise with Middleton Grange Shopping Centre senior security officer Ste Dawkin (right), Nana Sandra Longmoor and security supervisor Adam Goodwin. Picture by FRANK REID

Three-year-old Millie Wise lost consciousness after the nugget blocked her windpipe in Middleton Grange shopping centre’s McDonald’s restaurant.

Thankfully, she was saved by the quick actions of shopping centre staff including first aider Steve Dawking who managed to dislodge it in the nick of time.

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But it has emerged that some people took pictures and even video of the traumatic incident on their phones while staff fought to save Millie and attend to her frightened grandmother Sandra Longmoor.

Millie’s mum Clair Wise, 35, has appealed to anyone who recorded the incident to delete any pictures and video and not to put them on Facebook.

Claire said she is eternally grateful to Steve for saving Millie and also thanked the other security guards, staff and members of the public who helped.

“Without them I couldn’t imagine what could have happened.”

But she added: “I would also like to say that I am disgusted to hear that people have recorded this traumatic incident on their mobile phones while my mam and Millie were suffering this awful ordeal.

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“I hope that the people who did use their phones to take photos and video have the decency to delete these and I would be grateful if these were not shared on social media.”

It was last Tuesday when Millie and nana Sandra, 62, who looks after Millie four days a week, were eating in McDonald’s when she began to choke.

Sandra shouted for help and a McDonald’s member of staff tried to use first aid to remove the blockage but could not.

Soon after Steve, 42, was alerted and quickly located to Millie thanks to his eagle-eyed colleague Adam Goodwin in Middleton Grange’s CCTV control room.

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After several attempts Steve managed to free the nugget by leaning Millie forward and slapping her hard on the back.

Other Middleton Grange staff kept members of the public at bay and calmed Sandra.

Millie regained consciousness and centre staff were told by paramedic if the blockage had been in her throat for just five seconds more she may not have survived.

Sandra hailed Steve a hero for his actions but he said: “We don’t think of ourselves as heroes, we just do our job as a team.

“Any of us would do the same thing.”

Mille was taken to hospital to be checked over but has made a full recovery.