A would-be attacker who grabbed a 14-year-old girl was left battered and bruised after it turned out his attempted victim was a martial artist.

The schoolgirl was walking home alone through Tilgate Park in Crawley when a man in his thirties grabbed her arms from behind, police said.

Despite being more than 20 years younger than him, the teenager, who has studied martial arts for several years, then managed to break free from his hold and proceeded to punch and kick the attacker.