A TOWN centre cafe owner chased a man suspected of sexual assault before making a citizen's arrest.

Ajaz Ahmed, owner of the Bus Stop cafe, was leaving his mother's house in Drake Street on Thursday 14 January when he spotted a woman who appeared distressed.

She told him that she had been sexually assaulted and pointed to a man who was walking away with some friends towards the town centre.

Mr Ahmed, aged 40, gave the woman a lift in his car and followed her alleged attacker into a bookshop, where he apprehended him until police arrived and arrested him.

Mr Ahmed said: "The woman was really panicked she looked like an angel of death, she was petrified.

"I said to the girl you've got two choices - you can call the police and wait or you can get in the car with me, drive down the road and point him out to me so I can apprehend him.

"We saw him go into a bookshop, so I got out the car and followed him.

"I just said to him 'you're not going anywhere.'

"I said you're waiting here, if you haven't done anything wrong you haven't got anything to worry about.

"He had some friends with him - I could have got stabbed or anything.

"I use to work for The Samaritans - I would have done the same thing for anybody.

"It's really good that someone like that has been apprehended."

A police spokesman confirmed that Mr Ahmed apprehended the suspect at the store until police arrived.