Stabbed police officer Luke Weiks defying the odds and closing in on return to the beat

TOLD he only had a 5 per cent chance of living after a vicious knife attack, this Queensland policeman just won’t be beaten. WARNING: Graphic Image

Policeman Luke Weiks was stabbed in the neck while on duty in Townville in 2013. His road to recovery has been harrowing, with him fighting to get back onto duty since it happened. He has just started training at Beenleigh communications (at Beenleigh police station) before moving to Roma Street. He wants to eventually get back onto general duties. Give him a call when you're there, or close, and he'll come out of the police station to meet you.

A POLICEMAN stabbed in the neck while on duty in 2013 is one step closer to finally getting back on the beat.

However, there have been some major setbacks along the way – such as when he was told by doctors a month after the violent assault he had only a 5 per cent chance of living.

Senior-Constable Luke Weiks recently marked a milestone when the 34-year-old started training for a position in communications within the police service. It’s not exactly where he wants to be but he acknowledges it’s a step in the right direction.

Sen-Constable Weiks after the attack in a Townsville nightclub in December 2013.

The officer was attacked during a walk-through of Townsville’s Santa Fe Gold nightclub in December 2013.

He recalls seeing a blade flash past his face. He says he raised his hands, just managing to catch the knife with his right hand before the assailant tried to cut his throat. But he’d already been stabbed in the neck and also suffered a punctured lung.

“I didn’t know I’d been stabbed,” Sen-Constable Weiks says. “I just thought someone had tipped something hot over me, which turned out to be my blood.”

Just days after the incident, he told reporters he was keen to get back into general duties as soon as possible. But the opportunity never came.

Four weeks after the attack, he was readmitted to hospital with a stomach ache. When he woke four days later in intensive care, he was told he had little chance of living.

He says doctors told him the major trauma suffered from the attack had triggered an extremely rare blood disorder that was a result of a mutated gene. It meant he wouldn’t be seeing the frontline any time soon.

But Sen-Constable Weiks has had some success in getting back to work. After moving to Brisbane, he’s just completed his third week of a six-week training stint in the Beenleigh Police Station communications room. Once complete, he’ll transfer to Roma St police station.

“It’s actually turned out to be a job I really like,” he says. “It’s good to know the other side of the process instead of just responding to the jobs. I like the new challenge.”

But it’s still not where his heart lies.

“My time away from the frontline has only made me more determined to return to the job.”