A TAXI driver who saved a 13-year-old Bicester girl from an 'unthinkable ordeal' at the hands of a paedophile has been commended for his efforts.

Cabbie Satbir Arora was booked to take the schoolgirl from her home in Oxfordshire to Gloucester – where she had been lured by 24-year-old Sam Hewings.

When they arrived in Gloucester Mr Arora became increasingly concerned about the situation and, with help from his wife, alerted the police.

The action ensured the teenager’s safety and helped see Hewings, of Hadley Road, in Cam, Gloucestershire, jailed for five years.

This week, Mr Arora was presented with an accolade by councillor Kieron Mallon, Cherwell District Council’s lead member for public protection, praising the actions he took to protect the young girl.

Mr Arora received a booking from the 13-year-old on February 20, when she asked to be taken to Gloucester railway station.

Upon arrival at the station nobody was there to meet her, which made Mr Arora suspicious.

He asked the girl for the number of the man she was meeting and called Hewings, making recordings of the calls which were later used as evidence in Gloucester Crown Court.

Mr Arora also called his wife to discuss his concerns.

She ended up speaking to the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, over the phone and establishing that her parents were unaware of the situation.

She then phoned the police.

When police arrested Hewings at his home they found a rucksack containing knives, duct tape and co-codamol tablets.

He pleaded guilty to attempted abduction and possessing and distributing child porn and, on November 21, was sentenced to five years in prison by Judge Michael Cullum at Gloucester Crown Court.

He was also placed on the sex offender register for life.

Online chat logs presented to the court revealed Hewings’s paedophilic tendencies and showed he had discussed kidnapping, sedating and raping a victim.

On Monday, Mr Arora was presented with a certificate for outstanding achievement in safeguarding by Mr Mallon.

Mr Arora received safeguarding training from the council in December 2016 in its role as the taxi licensing authority.

He said: “The training was really useful.

"Because of the cases we read about on the safeguarding course I was able to recognise the signs and quickly spot that it was a grooming case.”

Mr Mallon said the case emphasised the importance of the training the district council provides.

He added: “I can’t praise Mr Arora enough for his caring attitude and for recognising that his passenger was in grave danger.

"He saved his passenger from an unthinkable ordeal and had the presence of mind to record his calls with the would-be kidnapper, providing crucial evidence to the prosecution service.

"He has clearly put his safeguarding training into action and I hope he displays his certificate in pride of place in his vehicle.”