A judge has praised the “extraordinary bravery” of three men who saved a woman and tracked down the man who sexually assaulted her.
In the early hours of September 25 last year, brothers Daniel and Luke met their friend Joshua for breakfast on Gravesend High Street before going to work.
Nearby, a woman was being sexually down an alley by Dalciran Ibrahim, a predator who had driven to the area with the intention of having sex.
When he couldn’t find a sex worker, 35-year-old Ibrahim followed a woman he didn’t know out of McDonald’s and trapped her in front of a shop which was covered in scaffolding.
Over a 20 minute period he sexually assaulted her while several members of the public walked past without making any intervention.
He then took hold of her arm and dragged her up the street to where his car was parked with the intention of raping her, a court heard.
Noticing the woman was in distress Daniel, Luke and Joshua - who did not want their full identities shared - asked her if she was okay and if she wanted to stand with them.
They questioned Ibrahim on what he was doing. Ibrahim lied that she was his girlfriend of two years and that she was drunk.
While they distracted Ibrahim, the victim managed to get away, before Ibrahim followed her and grabbed her arm again.
At this point Ibrahim and the woman were out of their sight, but Daniel, Luke and Joshua were so concerned that they drove around their area trying to find her.
Eventually they did find her and invited her into their car, drove her to a safe place and phoned the police.
Meanwhile Daniel, who was on a motorbike, gave police his phone number and followed Ibrahim.
As Daniel followed him, Ibrahim approached three other lone women in the street.
Thanks to Daniel’s tracking, police were able to arrest Ibrahim and on Monday (June 20) he was jailed for seven years, with an additional seven years in licence.
You can read the full story from Ibrahim's sentencing hearing by clicking here.
At Woolwich Crown Court, Judge D Miller told the friends: “You realised she was at risk and in distress from some distance.
“Rather than do what others did, which was to walk away or look away, you chose to intervene and this allowed her to escape.
“Not content with this, you made sure she was safe by finding her, offering her safety, assisting her in reporting this to police and tracking the attacker.”
He continued: “You acted as a team together. This intervention was extraordinary. It was brave. It was caring. Without it this woman would have come to more harm.
“You should be extremely proud of this.”
Daniel, Luke and Joshua were awarded £750 each, which they will receive from the High Sheriff of London.
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