Street hero ben is hailed
Published: January 12, 2007
An Oxford student has received a police bravery award after he put himself in danger by rugby tackling two female robbers who had attacked two girls.
Ben Smiley, 21, of Taston, near Charlbury, had been out with his girlfriend Camilla Burdett in Oxford when he was approached by two distressed 16-year-old girls.
They told him they had been attacked, assaulted and robbed of their handbags by two older females, in a street off Cowley Road.
As the girls were talking to Mr Smiley, they pointed out the robbers to him and he bravely gave chase. He followed them into Princes Street where he rugby tackled them to the ground.
One of the women hit him around the head with an umbrella, while the other one pulled a large clump of hair from the back of his head.
He suffered a nose bleed, bleeding gums and grazed hands in the incident on November 8, 2005.
Acting Chief Constable Sara Thornton, of Thames Valley Police, presented Mr Smiley with his commendation at the force’s awards ceremony at Drayton Park Golf Club, near Abingdon, yesterday. A number of officers were also recognised for their bravery.
Mr Smiley, who is studying politics and philosophy at Oxford University, said: “At the time I didn’t know what I was thinking when I ran after the offenders. I knew that I wanted to help the poor girls and try and get their stuff back for them.
“They were both in floods of tears and as I hadn’t done anything heroic before, I thought I would do my best.
“Today feels strange to be here among all these officers who have helped so many people and done so much more than I have. I have enjoyed listening to their stories and I feel very proud to have been commended for what I did that night.”
During the incident, another member of public had stopped to lend a hand, until the police arrived. Both girls were caught, all property was recovered and the offenders were charged with robbery and common assault.
Supt Jim Trotman, commander for Oxford police, said: “It gives me great pride to see these officers commended for their hard work and brave actions. We are also able to thank Ben Smiley for his brave actions at the scene of a vicious street robbery. It’s the actions of people like Ben that has led to a fall in street crime in the city.”
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