A courageous passerby has been hailed a hero after he intervened to stop a horrific rape attempt on a woman who believes her attacker would have killed her.
A Walk to the Shop Turns into a Life-Saving Intervention
Hamzah Albar, a 24-year-old student from Saudi Arabia, was walking to a shop in Monkwearmouth, Sunderland, on December 30 last year when he witnessed a terrifying scene. He saw Ian Hudson attempting to rape a woman.
Mr Albar immediately dialled 999, but his mobile phone battery died during the emergency call. Faced with this critical situation, he decided to act himself without hesitation.
Confronting the Attacker Despite Violent Resistance
The brave student approached Hudson, grabbed him and pinned him down to prevent the assault from continuing. During the struggle, Hudson punched Mr Albar repeatedly in the face, but the hero did not let go.
"He knew what he had done was despicable and he was trying to run away from the consequences as urgently as he could," Mr Albar said in a police interview. "Ultimately, I was not going to let that happen."
After restraining the attacker, Mr Albar managed to flag down two members of the public who were driving past. They raised the alarm with the police, leading to Hudson's arrest. The victim later told Mr Albar she had been fighting Hudson off for several minutes and was on the point of giving up when he appeared.
Justice Served and Formal Commendation for Courage
Following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court in June, Ian Hudson, 42, of no fixed abode, was convicted of multiple offences. These included two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault, non-fatal strangulation, sexual assault and attempted rape. He had previously admitted exposure and assaulting a police officer.
On November 30, Northumbria Police confirmed Hudson was jailed for nine years. He will remain on the sex offenders register for life and is subject to a sexual harm prevention order.
In a powerful victim impact statement read in court, the woman said: "I didn’t know there was evil out there like him but now I have seen evil, and it terrifies me." She added the crucial testimony: "That night I honestly believe he would’ve killed me if the witness hadn’t come along."
Recorder David M Gordon formally commended Mr Albar for his "extraordinary courage and public-spiritedness." He told the court: "Mr Albar intervened without hesitation to prevent the rape of the complainant who was in clear and immediate danger. In doing so, he not only placed himself at personal risk, but was in fact assaulted by the defendant as he restrained him until the police arrived."
Detective Constable Hayley McIntosh described Hudson's offences as "truly horrific," highlighting the gravity of the attack that was prevented by a stranger's quick thinking and bravery.
