AS HE walked home from his Scout's meeting on a Friday night, the last thing Jonathan Cook expected to happen was for him to save a woman's life.

The 17-year-old, who lives in Sandford, said he was walking over the bridge that overlooks the A4074 dual carriageway when he saw a car pull up.

The A-level student said he saw a woman get out of the car before she clambered on top of her bonnet and leant on the railings.

He said: "I was on the bridge and I saw a car drive up towards the other end of the bridge and I did not think much of it.

"I saw someone get out of the car and I saw her climb up onto the front of her car and at this point I was unnerved as to what was going on.

"She was leaning over the high railings and I just broke into a bit of a run.

"I ran up to her and tried talking to her to get her down but she was telling me to "pretend I had not seen her" so I just grabbed her legs and refused to let go."

As he tried to coax the woman down from her car, Jonathan said he managed to get his phone out of his pocket and telephone his parents for help.

But it took him half an hour before he could get through to them.

He added: "They came dashing round the corner and my stepmum and I managed to get her down from the car.

"Our neighbours rang the police who arrived and who managed to coax her to come with them.

"Initially she did not want to go and said she was fine to drive back home herself.

"I was so relieved when I saw her safe, I just could not let her go ahead with it."

Jonathan was not able to find out the woman's name or where she lived, and has not had contact with her since.

After the incident, which happened at around 10pm on Friday, May 20, Jonathan, a student at St Gregory the Great sixth form, was honoured with a Royal Humane Society certificate of commendation.

Dick Wilkinson, secretary of the Royal Humane Society, said: "Put simply Jonathan was the right person in the right place at the right time. And thank goodness he was.

"If he had not been there and the woman had succeeded in jumping it’s impossible to say what sort of chaos and carnage might have resulted.

"Jonathan spent half an hour holding on to the woman preventing her from jumping before help arrived.

"He richly deserves the award. He was a true hero.”

Jonathan was recommended for the award by family friend, Thomas Ackland, who lives in Cowley.

He said: "If it was not for his bravery a woman would be dead. Jonathan stopped this, plain and simple."