Two teens who helped snare a sex offender and a quick-thinking man who prevented the death of a woman in a care home have been handed awards for their outstanding bravery.

Patrick Gatt received recognition for his actions at the National Police Chief’s Council Police Public Bravery Awards held yesterday at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bloomsbury Street, London.

This year he took the honour of receiving a gold medal for his exceptional act of courage as pensioner Fred Butcher stabbed a residential care home manager at Hengist Court.

Mr Gatt was visiting his elderly mother at the home in Maidstone on January 26, 2017, when he was met with the horrifying and violent scene.

He was entering the building via the communal entrance when he saw the manager, Mina Turner, lying on the lounge floor with Butcher repeatedly stabbing her with a meat cleaver and filleting knife. She was screaming, losing vast quantities of blood.

Mr Gatt shouted at him and grabbed him by the collar, punching him to stop him stabbing the woman any further.

When the attacker raised the knife to stab her again Mr Gatt was able to grab hold of his wrist and force him to drop it. He pulled him away and secured both his wrists, sitting on his stomach until police arrived.

Officers provided life-saving first aid to the manager, who had suffered extensive injuries to her head, neck and stomach. Mr Gatt who is humble about his brave intervention and doesn’t view his actions as heroic, could "easily have been injured or killed himself".

Two teenagers were also honoured in the ceremony, receiving silver medals for their efforts in helping police arrest a sex offender.

When a man approached a14-year-old girl near Tonbridge Castle on July 19, 2017, and asked her to look at an indecent image on his mobile phone she took action.

She shouted for assistance, which was heard by a 14-year-old boy who went to help. The girl explained what had happened and asked him to phone police.

The two children then followed the man for 16 minutes - providing a commentary over the phone to police.

They tried to get adults to help them, but the suspect told passers-by the girl was his daughter.

On the route towards Tonbridge train station, the man was seen throwing his mobile phone into the river.

The girl was later able to take police back to the spot where it was thrown. The children followed the man to the train station and alerted security staff, telling them they were on the phone to the police who were coming to arrest the man for showing indecent photographs.

Two off-duty Metropolitan Police officers on the platform heard her and went to help. Finding out what happened they detained the man until Kent Police officers arrived and arrested him.

It was later discovered the man had already followed and shown other children indecent images that day.

Chief Constable Alan Pughsley, who attended the ceremony said: "It is a privilege to be present to see these Kent residents recognised for their extraordinary actions.

"These are people who refused to stand by when a serious crime was being committed in front of them. They put themselves at risk of harm because they believed it was the right thing to do. This resulted in a life being saved and two offenders being jailed.

"Police officers often go above and beyond the call of duty, but these award winners are people that acted without the training of police officers and did so with the utmost bravery in difficult, challenging, and frightening circumstances. They are all very worthy of this high recognition."