Man who saved teen from attack commended at court
Cumbria High SheriffA man who saved a teenage girl from being assaulted by a stranger while she walked home has been given a commendation for his bravery.
Keiran Sandham intervened when he saw the girl being dragged to the ground in Kendal, Cumbria.
Jack Slaven, 32, from Blackpool, was jailed for eight years for the unprovoked attack.
"I honestly didn't even think about it, I thought someone was in trouble so I ran over, like anyone would do," Mr Sandham said.
He was walking near his home in Kendal on January 26 at about 18:15 GMT when he saw the man running behind the girl and dragging her to the ground.
"Initially I thought it was just kids mucking about to be honest, the fact that they didn't get up straight away, I knew it was something worse than that," Mr Sandham said.
Cumbria policeHe ran over the bridge and saw that the girl, who was in her late teens, was being held in a headlock.
He told BBC Radio Cumbria's Mike Zeller at Breakfast that when he shouted at the man, he ran away.
Mr Sandham said: "It was all over very quickly, but it was all quite awful to see."
Cumbria Police said Slaven fled the scene and made his way to a local shop, where he stole several items including meat, tins and sweets.
He was arrested later that night and, while in custody, assaulted two police officers by attempting to headbutt and bite them.
Slaven admitted the offences when he appeared in court in March and was handed the prison sentence.
Mr Sandham and his family attended a ceremony at Carlisle Crown Court this week, where he was handed an award for his bravery by Cumbria's High Sheriff Geoffrey Joliffe.
"It was quite a pleasant surprise but I was also shocked, I felt like I did what anyone would do in that situation," said Mr Sandham.
"It was a very proud moment."