A KENDAL resident who intervened as a man was being savagely beaten, disarming one of the attackers before giving chase, has been commended for his bravery.

Patrik Stephens-Talajka was this week hailed a "superhero" by Cumbria's High Sheriff, Marcia Reid Fotheringham, who called his rapid response to shocking violence on the town's Waterside, in the early hours of March 30, "remarkable".

Mr Stephens-Talajka, aged 32, first heard shouting outside his home as Luke Canning and Jordan Jenkinson carried out a brutal revenge attack on a man following an earlier incident outside a town pub.

Looking out, he saw Canning repeatedly striking the prone male with a metal dumb bell bar. "So I had a quick think and went out," recalled Mr Stephens-Talajka after he received an official commendation and £750 reward at a Carlisle Crown Court ceremony. "He didn’t know I was coming so I disarmed him."

Not content with wrenching the weapon from Canning, pyjama-clad Mr Stephens-Talajka tried to give chase when the attacker fled before losing sight of him.

But Canning and Jenkinson were rounded up by police following an attack which left their victim with serious and life-changing injuries. And a judge who handed down jail terms of nine-and-a-half years and 12 years, respectively, lavished praised on the actions of Mr Stephens-Talajka and a female resident who also went to assist.

"Regrettably I suspect that many people these days would have turned a blind eye. Many would not have dared to get involved," said Judge James Adkin.

"I am convinced that further extreme violence - possibly even leading to the death of (the man) - would have resulted if those two brave members of the public had not intervened."

Mr Stephens-Talajka, who works as a Kendal care home cleaner, reflected: "I didn’t really worry about my safety. It was a nasty thing going on. Nobody deserves anything like that, no matter who you are."

Wife Natalie, with whom he now lives at Kirkby Stephen with sons Jake, aged seven, and Alex, three-and-a-half, called her husband's response "amazing, very brave". "Not many people would go out and get the weapon," she stated.

During the court ceremony, Ms Reid Fotheringham likened Mr Stephens-Talajka to a "superhero - because you were".

"Your motivation was clearly typical of a father. Your interest is in trying to make sure the world is a better place, a safer place for your children. You certainly went above and beyond making sure that was the case that particular night," she told him.

"You are a great example of a terrific man and resident and citizen of Cumbria."