A MAN strangling a woman in the street got a shock when six students – including an American footballer and martial artists – stepped in.
Jamie Rushforth, 29, had the woman in a choke hold in the early hours of the morning when the youngsters came to the rescue.
Rushforth ran off when the men returning from a night out intervened.
Toluwani Ayeton, who is 6ft 2in and plays for Bristol Barracuda American football team, said: “We were six guys and I guess he was bound to back down.”
He said he thought it may have been a typical argument between a couple but then it got physical.
Toluwani said: “When he put his hands on her then we stepped in – and he ran off.”
The half dozen men are second year University of Bristol students who were returning from a night out at 3.30am – and popped to the garage for a snack.
They heard the woman shouting for Rushforth to get off her at the Esso garage in Park Road and took action.
Giving evidence at Bristol Magistrates’ Court, Sebastian Jun Tan, 19, who is a jiu jitsu student, said: “It looked like he [Rushforth] was about to hit her and that’s when we stepped in.”
Mr Tan, who is studying accounting and finance, told the court the woman seemed afraid and had bruises on her arm.
The students were congratulated for their actions, which potentially saved the woman’s life.
Speaking after the hearing, Joseph Dias, 19, who is studying politics and Spanish, said: “We ran over to try to defuse the situation.
“We thought he might do serious harm to the woman and we didn’t think of our safety – but we outnumbered him six to one and he didn’t hang around.
“We stayed with the woman until the police arrived and both she and the officers said they were grateful we had stepped in.”
The other men included Deeyan Shah and Aran Moghanchi, as well as someone they met that night.
Rushforth, who is currently remanded in prison, did not attend the hearing. He had been charged with intentional strangulation on May 13, which he denied.
He was found guilty following a trial and his case has been committed to Bristol Crown Court for sentencing on November 11.