A judge has praised a hero dog after he chased off a sex attacker who indecently assaulted a woman in a park.
Two-year-old rottweiler Jake was on his usual evening walk with owner Liz Maxted-Bluck, 49, when he heard screaming from a dense woodland and ran to investigate.
He found sex beast Esmahil Adhami, 18, molesting a woman he had dragged into the undergrowth.
The fearless hound lunged at the illegal immigrant and chased him away – and then circled the sobbing victim ”like a guard dog” until the police arrived.
Jake, a former rescue dog, has now been commended for his actions by a judge who jailed Iranian-born Adhami for four years after he was convicted of sexual assault.
Sentencing at Warwick Crown Court, Judge Christopher Hodson said: ”I have not the slightest doubt that if that dog had not come bounding up, worse would have happened to that lady.”
Yesterday (Mon) Liz, a professional musician, said: ”Jake was just incredible and probably saved the woman from being raped.
”He has always hated conflict so when he heard her screaming he must have known someone was in trouble.
”After he ran back to the woman I rang the police and he circled us like he was guarding us. The woman was very grateful.”
The court heard how Jake and Liz were enjoying an evening walk on Hearsall Common, Coventry, West Mids., at 6pm on July 1 last year when his ears suddenly pricked up.
Just minutes earlier Adhami had picked out his victim, a woman aged in her 20s, while cycling through the park. He dropped his bike and flashed at her before dragging her into the bushes.
Rhona Campbell, prosecuting, said: ”The woman saw Adhemi cycling towards her and carried on walking after they passed.
”She turned round and saw that Adhami had dismounted his bike and exposed himself.
”Not thinking there would be a problem because he looked so young, she kept walking.
”But he chased after her, grabbed her and sexually assaulted her.”
Mum-of-two Liz, from Coventry, West Mids., said: ”I heard shouting and screaming but thought it was just kids but Jake ran off into the woods.
”I went to catch up with him and the next thing I knew this bloke is running towards me a terrified look on his face and Jake is about two feet behind him.
”When I caught up with the girl it was strange. It was like Jake knew what had happened.
”Despite being off his lead, he stood next to us watching out, as if he was guarding us.”
Police caught Adhami hours later and discovered he was in the county illegally after a failed asylum application.
He was jailed for four years when he was sentenced for both attacks on Friday.
Shockingly, the court heard that just weeks before the attack Adhami had been arrested by cops after he groped a 13-year-old girl but was released on bail.
Judge Hodson said: ”You had made unwanted approaches to a girl aged 13 in a public place.
”You went on to commit a very serious offence indeed. It was a bad sexual assault as one can imagine.”
Blodelle Thompson, defending, said: ”The defendant still does not acknowledge his guilt.
”If it was just the incident in the park, the court may have been minded to impose a community sentence, but the Hearsall Common one was a different category.”
Adhami was also placed on the sex offenders register or life, banned from having contact with girls under 16 and told he was likely to be deported upon his release from prison.
