A brave Suffolk man who intervened in a ferocious attack on a schoolboy in a playground has received a £250 award out of public funds and a certificate commending his public spirited actions.
David Norris was in the Recreation Road Park in Stowmarket with his 11-year-old son on June 30 last year when he went to the aid of the 15-year-old victim, who was unconscious and covered in blood after being repeatedly kicked in the face.
In September 22-year-old Joshua Williams, of Kent Road, Stowmarket, admitted wounding the teenager with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm and was jailed for nine years with an extended three year licence period.
Sentencing him Judge Rupert Overbury described the attack as “ferocious, sustained, pre-meditated and unprovoked”.
Today, 52-year-old Mr Norris, an engineer for a mobile phone company, was awarded £250 from public funds and a certificate commending his bravery and public spirited actions by the High Sheriff of Suffolk, George Vestey, at a ceremony at Ipswich Crown Court.
The court heard that Mr Norris had positioned himself between Williams and the unconscious victim to prevent further attack before placing the teenager in the recovery position and phoning the emergency services.
Judge Overbury said: “It’s very easy and understandable for members of the public to stay away from such scenes of violence to protect themselves from harm, but not so in Mr Norris’ case.”
Following the award ceremony Mr Norris said he would like to think other people would have acted in the way he did.
He said he had been in the right place at the right time and hadn’t had time to think before he acted.
Mr Norris, who had first aid training some years ago when he was in the Royal Air Force, said his priority had been to clear the injured boy’s airways as he was struggling to breathe because of the amount of blood.
“Somebody ran over and told me what was happening and I saw someone being kicked on the ground. I couldn’t have left that and ran over to try and calm things down,” he said.
As a result of the attack by Williams the schoolboy suffered numerous fractures to the bones beneath both eyes and to his nose and had surgery to repair the damage.
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