A quick thinking five-year-old girl who dialled 999 when her father collapsed at their Helston home has been praised as “a little angel.”

Abigail Maunder was playing with her dad John Thomas at their house in Tredinnick Wood Close on Sunday when he collapsed upstairs in the bathroom from diabetic shock due to low blood sugar. He was unable to speak or move.

Abigail, a year one pupil at St Michael’s Primary School, proved she really was a guardian angel watching over her father when she leapt into action.

Mr Thomas, who works offshore for marine engineering company Fugro Seacore Ltd based in Gweek and Falmouth, had collapsed on the bathroom floor with his feet wedging the door closed.

Despite his daughter’s best efforts to push open the door she could not force it ajar.

It was at this point that she informed her father: “Daddy, after I count to three if you don’t open that door I’ll ring 999.”

Her father managed to crawl on his stomach down the stairs and she helped him get a glass of milk with sugar in it, in a bid to bring back his blood sugar levels. When Abigail realised her father was so ill that he was unable to drink it she picked up the phone and dialled 999, telling the operator: “Daddy is poorly. I’ve given him milk and sugar, but it’s running out of his mouth.”

She also called her grandparents, Josephine and Barry Thomas in Budock Water.

But first Abigail got hold of Sheila and John Tregay from Mylor Bridge by mistake.

Mrs Tregay said: “The little girl was obviously very upset. As soon as she mentioned sugar I guessed it was to do with a diabetic. Her voice was really very agitated and you’ve got to do something about it – contacting the police is all you can really think of. We were just so glad everything did turn out alright.”

Mr Tregay dialled 1471 got the number and contacted Helston police station – but when they started investigating they found an ambulance had already been called.

Abigail finally managed to get through to her grandmother, who immediately jumped in the car and raced over to Helston – completing the journey from Budock in a record ten minutes!

She got to the house just before a policeman arrived to investigate. Speaking on Monday after fully recovering, 36-year-old Mr Thomas praised his young daughter. “I am so proud, she really is a clever girl. She’s my little angel – daddy’s little girl. I’ve always explained it to her, what to do if anything every happened.”

He added that he had suffered diabetes from the age of nine, but had never gone into shock in this way before.

Abigail said: “We were play fighting and he got up and was all stiff. I followed him upstairs, he fell in the bathroom and his legs were near the door. I couldn’t get through and so I was telling daddy, ‘Move it!’ I phoned 999 like my daddy taught me.”

Sergeant Chris Davies from Helston police station said: “Mr Thomas was suffering from very low blood sugar levels and was at risk of falling into a diabetic coma. Abigail showed great presence of mind to use the phone to get help.”

The family has been given the number of Mr and Mrs Tregay who Abigail first called and they now plan to phone them to thank them for his help.