A Melbourne man has been cleared over the death of a burglar following a 22-month legal ordeal.
Russell Harrison rushed to his neighbour’s defence in December 2015 when he heard “blood-curdling screams” coming from her home.
A burglar, Adam Slomczewski, had broken in, and had assaulted her.
Slomczewski died in the struggle from cardiac arrhythmia in the setting of the struggle, as well as neck compression and amphetamine use, an earlier hearing was told.
Post continues after video: 11-year-old catches burglar
Mr Harrison, a bodyguard and security company boss, has now spoken out about the attack, telling the Herald Sun: “I don’t see myself as a hero. I’m just somebody who went to help a neighbour.
“If the situation arose, I’d do the same thing,” the dad-of-three said.
Mr Harrison was finally cleared of 44-year-old Slomczewski’s death – something which is a great relief not only for the Harrison family but also for the neighbour he rescued.
Known only as Jess, she spoke of her relief:
“He’s my hero. My kids have a mum because of him,” she said.
Jess suffered head injuries during the attack and says she left her home because of the incident.
