NZ man fights off men strangling woman in London

A New Zealander who fought off three men who were strangling a woman and stealing her jewellery in London has received a bravery commendation from police.

Damon Newrick, 32, a physiotherapist from Wellington moved to London four and a half years ago.

He had been having dinner at his flat in Highgate, north London in May last year when he heard a 'blood-curdling' scream.

He went to investigate and found three 'quite large' men strangling a woman, who was covered in blood from where they had ripped out her £10,000 ($25,000) earrings.

"I yelled at them and told them to get the eff off her," Mr Newrick told the Dominion Post from London yesterday.

"Two of them scarpered, one hung around. I hit him a couple of times in the head. I thought, 'Hit first, ask questions second'."

Mr Newrick pushed the man out the lobby door, then shut it.

The men kicked at the reinforced glass, as it started to give he grabbed the dazed woman and "chucked her up the stairs", Mr Newrick said.

He thought he was going to get a 'hiding' but the attackers just grabbed their keys, dropped during the struggle, and fled.

The men are standing trial this month for about 25 similar attacks. Mr Newrick will be a witness.

In the last two weeks he received his commendation from police, which states it is for "exceptional bravery and courage in tackling three extremely violent criminals in the process of committing a horrific crime".

His father , Paul Newrick, was a Hutt Valley police officer for 21 years, which was why he stepped in, Mr Newrick said.

"That's just what we got taught you help where you can. The one thing that went through my mind was, 'I can't ring up Dad and say I saw this thing happen but didn't really help."'

- NZPA