At least now he is off the streets; Hero bouncer grabs sex predator as he strikes.

Byline: By ALASTAIR CRAIG

A SEX attacker who stalked the streets for victims is behind bars after being tackled by a bouncer.

Hero Simon Lindsay saved a woman as she was pawed by depraved Daniel Tsegay.

His actions earned him the praise of a judge and led to Tsegay being locked up indefinitely for a double attack.

Tsegay, 28, an asylum seeker from Eritrea, of Diana Street, Newcastle, first struck in May.

He dragged a 42-year-old into an alley near the city's Blandford Street, and tried to rape her.

Three months later he pounced again and dragged a girl, out celebrating her 18th birthday, and assaulted her in a back lane in nearby Westmorland Road.

Simon, 31, of Gateshead, described the scene he faced as Tsegay pinned the woman to the floor tearing at her clothes.

A doorman at The Yard pub he was on duty when the victim's friend alerted him.

He said: "I was working on the door and a woman came up to me. She was very distressed and asked me to help her friend who was being bothered by a man.

"I walked with her across the road to a lane and saw a man kneeling on top of the woman and groping her.

"I patted him on the shoulder telling him to get up. He didn't, so I dragged him away. The woman was extremely distressed.

The guy tried to leg it so I got him in an arm-lock against a wall."

He called in police and held Tsegay who was arrested and a DNA link was discovered he was responsible for the earlier offence.

Simon, added: "The guy was struggling for five minutes until the police came.

"I was a bit on edge through the whole thing because you don't know what could happen.

But it had to be done and hopefully anyone would do the same.

The most important thing is he is off the streets.

"I'm just pleased the woman has got some kind of justice for what she went through and it can't happen to anyone else now."

Tsegay was snared by a billion to one DNA after he tried to rape one woman and molested the other.

He was convicted of the attacks after a trial and must serve a minimum of five years before he is considered for release.

Jailing Tsegay at the city's crown court, Judge Beatrice Bolton said: "The defendant is clearly a sexual predator. This was a concerted and violent attack against a resistant woman.

"These were targeted offences against vulnerable women, committed quite close to each other. I form the view you pose a significant risk of serious harm to members of the public."

Judge Bolton commended Simon and awarded him pounds 300, saying: "He exercised great public spirit and used minimal force to detain the offender."

Reports showed Tsegay was a high risk of re-offending and the judge said his sentence for public protection meant he would only be released in five years if this changed.

She also said he was likely to be deported upon release, his asylum status having not been determined.

Tsegay had denied attempted rape and sexual assault but a jury found him guilty of both.

The jury had heard his attacks had striking similarities.

Both were staged in the same area, where revellers were coming out of busy night-spots.

DCI Jim Hetherington, said: "I'm pleased with this substantial sentence."

CAPTION(S):

HERO: Doorman Simon Lindsay from The Yard pub in Newcastle who held Daniel Tsegay PICTURE: ANDY COMMINS www.icNewcastle.co.uk/buyaphoto ref: 01276510 ; SEXUAL PREDATOR: Convicted Daniel Tsegay