Good Samaritan who pelted sex attacker with rocks to stop him assaulting 16-year-old girl is presented with bravery award

A hero who tackled a sexual predator and threw rocks at him as he tried to assault a teenage girl has been presented with an award to recognise her bravery.

Teresa Locke was working at Sapphire Cars taxi firm in Maidstone, Kent, in the early hours of the morning when she spotted Oluwaseun Oseni approach a 16-year-old girl, who was waiting for a cab after a night out with friends, and grab her around the waist.

Oseni, 33, grasped his victim around the throat before pushing her against some shutters and forcefully throwing her face down on to the ground, Maidstone Crown Court heard in June.

The forklift driver, from Orpington, Kent, proceeded to put the teenager in a chokehold and simulate sex with her from behind.

The father of three, who had spent the evening at a nearby nightclub and did not know the girl, had pounced without warning.

Her desperate screams for help alerted Ms Locke, who attempted to intervene by pulling Oseni off the victim by his hair, but he punched her in the face - breaking her glasses and leaving her with a black eye, the court was told.

Oseni, who was stripped to the waist, then dragged the young victim to a car park at the rear of the building where he squeezed her neck tightly as he sexually assaulted her.

Determined to stop the assault, Ms Locke risked her own life by throwing road debris at the assailant before returning to the scene with a security guard. 

Between them, they managed to pull him off the girl and escorted her to the taxi office, where they locked the door.

The court heard how Oseni approached the front of the building and banged aggressively on the window while fixing his eyes on the shocked teen, who was left with bruising, cuts and scratches all over her body, before leaving the scene.

He was later arrested for the attack - which happened on August 21 last year - and was sentenced to three years in prison at Maidstone Crown Court in June.

Ms Locke has now been recognised for her courage at the National Police Chief's Council Police Public Bravery Awards in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, on November 28.

In the ceremony people from across the UK who put themselves at risk in order to prevent crime and protect vulnerable people were honoured.

The taxi worker was also awarded the Binney Medal, an award in remembrance of Sir Ralph Binney - a retired naval captain who died while trying to stop an armed robbery - which is presented to the person whose nomination stands out as exceptional above the others.