Russell Irwin says he'd do it all again. Photo / @LanaMurphy/Twitter
Russell Irwin says he'd do it all again. Photo / @LanaMurphy/Twitter
The Melbourne father who jumped over his neighbour's fence when he heard her terrified screams before being bashed by three thugs says he would do the same thing again "in a heartbeat".
Dad-of-three Russell Irwin was toasting marshmallows with his kids when he heard a bloodcurdling scream from the woman next door to his Cranbourne North home about 7.15pm on February 1.
He immediately jumped the fence and went to help her.
But he was confronted by at least three intruders inside the house armed with an tomahawk axe, baseball bat and a gun.
The three men stabbed the 41-year-old multiple times in the back before he was hit over the head, leaving him with a cracked skull.
"She gave me a beautiful card saying thanks for saving her life and everything, which probably hit more at home than anything else," Irwin said.
"She's pretty rattled by it.
"I said to her 'I gave you a chance to get out' and she said 'once they were in the backyard with you I got a chance to run out of the house' and that's all I was after."
Russell Irwin being treated by paramedics after rushing to his neighbour's aid. Photo / Twitter/@LanaMurphy
Irwin needed 20 stitches to mend his fractured skull after his heroic act and he will be off work for at least two weeks.
He said he was lucky to avoid surgery but has been nursing headaches and has needed to take pain and anti-seizure medication.
He said he had been "pretty overwhelmed" by the public response since the attack.
When asked if he would do it again if confronted with a similar situation, Irwin said: 'In a heartbeat, not a drama at all".
He admitted the word hero didn't sit comfortably with him, as he said he did what he thinks most people would do in the same situation.
"If someone needs a hand like that you bloody do it," he said.
"Don't hesitate to make sure someone is okay, that's all I care about.
