A Nottingham man who helped a police officer under attack says he was inspired by the memory of a close friend who was killed with one punch.
Brett Woodward, from Bestwood Park, intervened in an incident in Sherwood last year.
He stopped his car to help after seeing a man punch a passer-by in the street.
But when a police officer arrived on the scene the attacker set upon him too, and Brett stepped in. Despite being kicked in the stomach, Brett fought back and helped the policeman restrain and arrest the man.
Brett says he decided to act when the memory of close friend Shane Lee flashed through his mind.
Shane, 29, was killed by a man with a single punch that caused him to fall and hit his head in Sherwood in 2011.
Aaron Barrett, formerly of Collier Road, Calverton, was convicted of Shane’s manslaughter by a jury at Nottingham Crown Court in March 2012 and jailed for six years.
Brett said: “We all have that one friend that we open up to and that’s what he was to me; we were due to be celebrating our 30th birthdays together before he died.
“That was in the back of my mind and that’s what made me take action, I would have felt so guilty had I not helped.
“You step in and do something about it, help the policeman out, as they probably have a wife and children at home.”
When I received my award I was just thinking about my mate
Brett, 34, from Bestwood Park, got a Silver Medal at the National Police Public Bravery Awards in London on Tuesday for his efforts.
He said: “When I received my award I was up on stage and I was just thinking about my mate.
“The incident I was involved in happened at around 5.30pm in January last year and there were lots of children nearby at the time.
“There was a lot of abuse being hurled towards us as both me and the policeman were wearing black, so people must have thought I was a police officer too.
“I just thought, he must go through this every day of his life.”
I took the medal home and my little boy said he wanted to show it off
The officer was not seriously injured in the incident.
Brett said: “I was happy that the police officer turned to me and said ‘I’m really grateful to you;’ I’m just grateful that he’s alright. I have a little boy at home and he was proud of me.”
Erica Sparkes, who also helped in the incident, was walking home from work when she saw Brett and the officer struggling with the violent man.
They acted with bravery and public-spiritedness
At one point the group stumbled onto the A60 during the struggle and, Erica ran into the road to stop oncoming traffic until the man was eventually restrained.
Brett and Erica both received a Nottinghamshire Police Chief Constable’s Award for their actions in November 2015.
Erica, 36, also received a certificate for her actions at Tuesday night’s awards.
Honorary Awards Secretary Chief Constable Stephen Watson said: “They put themselves in harm’s way to ensure the safety of others.
“They acted with bravery and public-spiritedness in a desperate moment and it’s an absolute honour to be able to recognise them in this way.”
