BRAVE Dudley cop Pc Jessica Preston has been commended for her courage after she put her life in danger to arrest Stefan Rattray.

Pc Preston was among officers who executed a warrant at a property in Corser Street, Dudley, last November, where Rattray was among dealers selling class A drugs.

The prolific criminal ran upstairs as officers searched the house and Pc Preston gave chase.

He kicked her several times before going into a bedroom and reached down the side of a bed where a loaded gun was hidden.

Pc Preston followed him into the room and, along with fellow officers, detained the dangerous crook before he could get his hands on the pistol.

Sergeant Rob Simpson, from West Midlands Police’s St James’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “What had started out as an average drugs warrant turned into a potentially life threatening situation.

“I would like to commend the bravery and tenacity of Pc Preston, who pursued Rattray even though she’d been assaulted, and her colleagues who stopped Rattray in his tracks. None of them could have known the extent of the danger they were in and events like these show the risks officers face on a daily basis.”

As Rattray begins a ten year jail term, Sgt Simpson added: “I am satisfied with the significant sentence handed to Rattray and I hope this sends a clear message to anyone else involved with drugs and firearms that you will pay the price for the misery your activities bring to our communities.

“Thanks to the professionalism and team work shown by our officers on the day and throughout the trial, a dangerous drug dealer has now been taken off the streets of Dudley and residents can feel safer in their homes as a result.”

Pc Preston said: “I’ve been an officer for six years now and while you assume that at some stage in your career you will be assaulted, you hope it isn’t in vain.

“I am just pleased that we were able to detain Rattray in the end and that the outcome, which could have been a lot worse for everyone in the property at the time, was a safe one.”