A hero cabbie today told how he chased a man for miles after being flagged down by a tearful woman who claimed she had been sexually attacked.

Brave Derek Pryor and his passenger have been praised by police for the dogged way in which they tailed the alleged attacker.

The four-mile chase stretched from Southchurch to Westcliff and saw both cars jump red lights and drive the wrong way down one-way streets.

But the evidence the pair gathered was vital and led police to the suspect straight away.

The drama unfolded shortly before midnight on Monday when passenger Paul Madden's cab was flagged down by a young woman in Southchurch Road.

Mr Madden, who had been returning home to Shoebury from a night out with his girlfriend, said: "The terrified girl ran out and flagged down the driver.

"She was very shaken and her hands and knees were cut. She sobbed that she had been attacked and pointed at a car which was driving off.

"My girlfriend got out to comfort her and I stayed with the cab driver who decided to follow the car."

Mr Pryor, who works for Southend Radio Cars, said he did not think twice about giving chase.

He said: "I had just picked up a fare and was about to pull away when the girl came running out of an alleyway.

"I opened the window to ask what she wanted and saw she was in a state of shock. She pointed at a car which was starting to drive off up the road and said its driver had attacked her.

"I was on my mobile phone to police and knew their only chance of finding this person was if I followed as best I could and tried to stop him or got the car's registration.

"I hoped the car would stop but it didn't - it just kept doubling back on itself, going through red lights and down one way streets the wrong way. In the end he lost me. "

A spokesman for Southend police today confirmed they had interviewed a man in connection with the alleged incident and said they were not looking for anyone else.

A formal complaint has not yet been made to police by the woman who said she had been attacked.

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