'He saved my life': Woman pays tribute to British tourist who was knocked out while trying to protect her from a thug who was following her home
- A woman has paid tribute to man who was punched while walking her to her car
- Charlie Taylor, 20, said Mike Garner was punched so hard he was knocked out
- She visited hospital he was taken to everyday but has been unable to locate him
A woman has paid tribute to a man who was knocked out by a violent thug while walking her safely to her car after she finished work at a nightclub.
Charlie Taylor, 20, was walking through central Auckland at about 4am on Saturday morning when she realised someone was following her to whom she said she had had a long night and kept walking.
'When I realised what was happening, I did what they always teach you in school and approached a stranger and told them the situation and he offered to walk me to my car,' Taylor told Stuff.
A woman (pictured) has paid tribute to a man who was knocked out by a violent thug while walking her safely to her car after she finished work at a nightclub
Mike Garner (pictured) from the UK who is visiting the country and who saved Ms Taylor by walking her to her car
That stranger has since been identified as Mike Garner who is visiting Auckland from the UK and staying with his sister, Claire.
He happened to be walking on the other side of Beach Road at the time and offered to carry Ms Taylor's bags and escort her to her car.
The man who had been following her, who she described as being tall and having a large build, caught up with them and started acting aggressively towards the pair before punching Garner so hard he was knocked unconscious and had to be taken to hospital.
'I just want him to know how sorry I am for getting him involved and how grateful I am that he saved my life, I had no idea what the man following me was capable of and if not for Mike I may not be here,' Ms Taylor said.
'He's the most courageous person I've met and that myself, my friends and family will remember him for the hero he is.'
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Mr Garner was attacked by the man while walking Ms Taylor to her car after the two ignored his repeated questions.
'He kept asking us all these questions and we were like yeah, we are together, this is my boyfriend and he just came to pick me up - just leave me alone kind of thing. He was walking backwards talking to us. We were trying to ignore him and laugh it off and said we are just going to go now' she told the New Zealand Herald.
That's when Ms Taylor said the man just grabbed Mike by the back of the neck and punched him three times.
'He was completely unconscious, and his eyes were open and rolled into the back of his head. He was making this horrible noise like he was trying to breathe but he couldn't. I called 111 and then he stopped breathing so I carried out CPR on him.'
Mike regained consciousness by the time ambulances arrived and he was taken to hospital.
The woman was walking along Beach Road in Auckland (pictured) when the Good Samaritan saved her
Ms Taylor promised to meet him at the hospital while he was put in the back of the ambulance but was unable to find him when she visited later that morning.
She has since been back everyday to try and locate him.
Ms Taylor said she has some items that belong to him and she feels like she desperately needs closure from this incident.
Now that Mr Garner's full name has been revealed she hopes to make contact with him very soon.
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