Leeds schoolgirl, 15, fought off man with knife trying to kidnap her in East End Park and took his picture

Alexandra Muresan was given a special award by West Yorkshire Police, celebrating her bravery during the terrifying incident when she was just 15 years old.

Her actions were recognised in the Leeds District Awards, which saw police officers and members of the public commended for their efforts and bravery.

Alexandra, then living in East End Park, was on her way to Mount St Mary’s Catholic High School in February 2019, when she was approached from behind by a stranger.

“I had my headphones in,” she said. “Half way through the ginnel, he grabbed me round my waist. He showed me the knife and told me to walk with him.”

After being pushed into some woodland by her attacker, Alexandra instinctively decided to fight back.

“When he came towards me, I saw the handle of his knife and I just grabbed it and started pulling,” she said. "There was just so much adrenaline – my whole body was shaking. I don’t know why – it’s what came to mind straight away and I just did it."

A struggle ensued for about a minute, before Alexandra managed to wrestle the knife from the attacker – badly cutting her hand in the process.

“I did rugby for two years,” she said. “So I managed to get it off him eventually!”

Alexandra then took her phone from her pocket and quickly took photos of him.

"He was just standing there, asking for his knife back,” said Alexandra. “I was like ‘no!’.”

The attacker then ran away when he saw Alexandra taking photos. She then called an ambulance after noticing her hand was bleeding.

"I don’t even know how to describe how I felt after it happened,” she said. “It’s not really something you experience every day!

"My mum and dad were obviously really worried about me, but they did everything they could to help.

"They wanted to take me to therapy, but I’m not the kind of person to talk a lot and go to therapy.

"At first, I was a little bit scared to go out by myself, but at the same time, as I grew older, it kind of boosted my confidence.”

The police were then able to identify the assailant from the photos taken on Alexandra’s iPhone, and she later picked out her attacker from an identity parade.

Her attacker was given an extended sentence of 13 years and eight months after pleading guilty to kidnapping, wounding, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence, possession of an offensive weapon and two unrelated counts of burglary.

Alexandra, now 19, went to a ceremony with around 120 guests at the banqueting suite of Leeds Civic Hall this month.

Her certificate read: “In recognition of your brave actions on 15th February 2019 when confronted by a male who attempted to abduct you at knifepoint. You managed to disarm the man despite sustaining a knife wound and obtained images of him on your phone which led to the swift apprehension of the offender.”

Alexandra added: “It was a nice night – but it was nerve-wracking, because you had to go onstage and collect your award in front of everyone!”