A TERRIFIED grandmother who was robbed in broad daylight has paid tribute to a mystery man who helped her.
Retired widow Eliza-beth Normington was pounced on by Leon Sterba, a Czech, as she left a church fun day at People's Park, Halifax.
The attack, in which Sterba stole Mrs Norm-ington's car keys as she tried to drive away, left the 69-year-old, of H
alifax, so traumatised she is now scared to go out alone.
But today, following a court case, she called the mysterious young man a hero.
"I don't know who he was but I was glad to see him," she said.
"He didn't see what happened but I told him and he gave chase, and eventually he came back with my keys. What he did was very much appreciated."
The man – described as Asian and in his early 20s – told her Sterba, 23, had handed them over without a struggle.
Sterba, of Lemington Avenue, King Cross, Halifax, admitted affray. He was given a nine-month jail sentence suspended for two years at Bradford Crown Court.
Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC told Sterba: "Do you realise how much you frightened that nice English lady in her motor car?"
Sterba replied: "Yes, I am sorry."
The judge continued: "If you ever do anything like this again I will lock you up for at least three years." Sterba was also sentenced to a two-year community order with supervision, told to do 150 hours unpaid work and was ordered to pay £53.77 compensation.
The court was told Sterba confronted Mrs Normington as she got into her car.
Sterba told police he handed the keys back after "suffering an att- ack of conscience."
Richard Brown, for Sterba, said he had already served 105 days in prison on remand.
Mrs Normington had forgiven her attacker despite the trauma he had caused her.
The King's Centre church member said: "He has sinned but so have we all. I forgave him straight away."
