A Met Police officer who saved an elderly woman’s life has been thanked by her family for giving them the best Christmas present they could wish for.

PC Harry Sage, an officer based on the Central East Borough Command Unit, was getting a lift to work with his dad on the morning of Thursday, November 19, when, driving through Sidcup, he saw an elderly lady lying motionless on the floor.

Harry asked his dad to pull over and ran to her aid.

He quickly established that Rene, aged 90, was unresponsive, not breathing and had serious head and facial injuries.

She was freezing cold, leading him to think she had been there for some time. He managed to tilt her head in order to clear her airway and she started to breathe again.

Harry, who has three years’ service as a PC, said: “The whole incident lasted about five minutes, but it felt like a lifetime while I waited for the ambulance to arrive.

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"I’ve dealt with serious incidents before, on duty, where I’ve had the support of my colleagues, but this is the first time I’ve been faced with something like this on my own.

“The skills I learned in my training helped me to make quick interventions on the day. I remember thinking I needed to tilt her head first, and the second I did this, her airway cleared and she took a very deep breath. I felt relief straight away when I heard her breathe. I reassured her until the ambulance arrived, and asked some neighbours to provide blankets.”

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She was taken to hospital where she was treated for a broken nose, and received stitches to her head. She had also lost a couple of teeth.

Without PC Sage’s actions that day, it is almost certain that Rene would have died. Thankfully, she is recovering well and will be home with her family this Christmas.

John, Rene’s son, said in a letter of thanks: “He (Harry) has given us the best Christmas present in the world, a mum who is alive and recovering well and who will hopefully be with us for many years to come.

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"Words cannot express the thanks and gratitude we have for this amazing young police officer. We will never forget what he has done for our family and he deserves the best that life can offer. He is a credit to the police and you should all be very proud of him.”

Afterwards, Harry reflected on his actions: “Any one of us would have done the same thing had they been there. However the letter from the family caught me off guard and was very nice to read. Seeing the impact my actions have had on the family was quite moving to say the least. I just hope they can have a good Christmas.”

Talking to Harry in the letter of thanks, Rene said: “I would just like to add my thanks for all that you did for me and for keeping me here with all my lovely family. I am eternally grateful to you. Thank you.”