A brave mum-of-three has told of how she single-handedly stopped an attack by putting herself in the middle of a gang attacking a man "like a pack of wild animals".
Clare Larkey-Jones, 48, was on her way back from an 11-hour shift when she came across the group beating up a man in his 20s.
The off-duty police officer pulled the gang's ringleader off the victim before they ran away and she phoned an ambulance, reports North Wales Live.
She has now reflected on why she intervened in the attack, saying it was the "right thing to do".
PC Larkey-Jones said: “I had just finished an 11-hour shift and was picking my brother and his girlfriend up at The Maes in Caernarfon before going home when I heard a lot of shouting.
"I told my brother to stay in the car and I walked over and a gang of lads were picking on a young man in his 20s.
“They were like a pack of wild animals and started beating him up. They stopped when I came over but then they started again.
"I just went on auto-pilot and got hold of the ringleader, shouted at them and pulled him off before they ran away and then called the police and ambulance.”
A trial at Caernarfon Crown Court heard that PC Larkey-Jones grabbed ringleader Callum Lee Davies "mid-punch".
He was jailed for the attack and the policewoman was praised for her courageous actions.
Judge Nicola Jones who said: “Thankfully, PC Clare Larkey-Jones, who was off duty that evening, with no thought for her own safety, clearly thinking only of restoring order, intervened.
"She got in the middle of all of all of these men who were behaving violently. She very clearly and robustly sent everybody on their way."
PC Larkey-Jones' fearless act saw her honoured in a reception at 10 Downing Street and nominated for a Police Federation Bravery award.
She said: “I just knew there was something not right going on there and I thought if that was one of my boys was getting beaten up I would like to think that someone would do the same as I did.
"I honestly didn’t think anything of it at the time. I just don’t like to see people being bullied. My husband asked me why I did it and it was because it was the right thing to do.”
PC Larkey-Jones started her policing career at the age of 25 and spent 22 years as a frontline officer before becoming a Sexual Offences Liaison Officer on the force's Amethyst Team.
She added: "I’ve always enjoyed the variety of being a police officer, every single day is different and I’ve always enjoyed coming into work and made so many friends.
"I like being out and dealing with the public and I really enjoyed being on response and dealing with everything from road traffic accidents to assaults.
"All the variety of things we get asked to handle and being with Amethyst is very worthwhile too.
“It’s also been a flexible job and allowed me to be part-time while my children were growing up but I was always ready to do weekends and really the years have passed in a blur.
"I have missed several family celebrations, birthdays and had to work late and on Christmas day etc, but the police is a 24-7 job. We can’t close because it’s a Bank Holiday.”
