A TEENAGER accused of rape was one of three youths who tackled a knife-wielding man who tried to murder his wife, a court heard yesterday.

Jurors at Cardiff Crown Court heard that Timothy Park, 19, who stands charged with six counts of rape, six counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and two counts of attempted rape, all against an underage boy, was rewarded for his courage along with two friends for helping save the woman.

Park, along with Bradley Thompson, 18, and Rhys Jones, 17, came to the rescue of Helen Ball on July 30 last year as she came running towards them covered in blood.

Her ex-husband Michael Ball was running after her with a carving knife after having already stabbed her 11 times in an attack in their nearby home.

The three teenagers restrained Ball on the ground until the police arrived.

Ball, 44, of Sandy Lane, was jailed in December for 13-and-a- half years after admitting attempted murder.

Following an order by Mr Justice David Lloyd-Jones at the end of the case, Mr Jones, Mr Thompson and Park were paid £250 each from public funds for their “courageous and selfless intervention in this case” and were given certificates of commendation.

Yesterday, Park, of Estuary View, Caldicot, took to the stand where he said, until he was accused of these crimes, he was planning on studying history and primary education studies at Liverpool Hope University, where he had been offered a place, as he wanted to be a primary school teacher. Park described himself as heterosexual and said he had a girlfriend of 11 months.

When asked if he ever had any sexual feelings towards the complainant, he replied “no”.

He told the court, when he found out about the allegations against him, he was “confused, angry, upset and bewildered. I didn’t know what to think”.

Park describes the offences alleged by the complainant as “vile lies”.

The complainant alleges sex assaults number between 15 and 20.

Proceeding