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³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ and Away actor Orpheus Pledger has described how he intervened to help a woman who was being attacked on an Australian street.

The 25-year-old, who plays Mason Morgan in the Australian soap, said he had spotted the woman apparently being followed by a man in Sydney last year.

When the woman was approached and thrown to the ground, Pledger grabbed the attacker and helped restrain him.

The man, 28, was convicted of assault this week, Australian media reported.

Pledger said he had noticed a "suspicious character" emerge from an alleyway during a walk at night.

"I instantly drew my attention to this person - my instinct told me something was wrong," said Pledger, who gave evidence to a court in April.

that Pledger could not speak publicly about the case, an attempted robbery, until it had concluded.

The actor's account comes amid intense discussion in Australia about violence in public places following the high-profile killing of a young comedian in Melbourne.

Pledger said he had acted after seeing the man run up behind the woman and throw her to the ground.

"In that moment my instincts kicked in and I ran up and was screaming, 'stop stop stop'," he told the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ.

"I pulled him off her and was holding him back physically while yelling out for someone to call the police."

He said nearby residents had alerted authorities and helped restrain the man until police arrived.

The attacker could face up to 20 years in jail, the Daily Telegraph said. Pledger said the victim was "ok", but could not give further details.

"Violence towards anyone should never be tolerated," the actor said.

The killing of comedian Eurydice Dixon, whose body was found in a Melbourne park last week, has prompted a wide-ranging discussion in Australia about bettering public safety.

While police have welcomed many ideas,