[Faline]

An elderly grandfather has been hailed a hero after fighting off a knife wielding robber at the petrol station where he worked armed only with a bottle of wine.
Pensioner Derek Greenwood, 73, grabbed masked Kieran Devlin, 27, as he threatened the terrified female cashier with a knife and demanded money from the till.
Devlin quickly turned on him brandishing the large kitchen knife, but Mr Greenwood broke away before returning seconds later armed with a bottle of wine and continued to defend his 25-year-old colleague.



Devlin, from Accrington, Lancashire was jailed on Friday for five years four months after pleading guilty to robbery at Preston Crown Court.
Mr Greenwood, who has worked at the garage for the past six years as a part-time shop assistant said he wouldn't think twice about doing it again.
He said: 'It just happened really quickly. He came in and I was talking to my colleague at the desk. He came in and stood next to me and shoved his hand onto the counter with a blue bag
'I grabbed him by the arms and saw that he had a knife so I let him go and picked up a bottle of wine to defend myself. He lost his nerve then and ran out of the store.
'I'm 73 and that's the first time that I have seen a robbery, let alone been involved in one, but I don't regret what I did.
'I know a lot of good young people who are doing really well in Accrington, but I suppose there's always going to be the odd bad person.'
Devlin was wearing a hooded coat with his face covered up to his eyes when he entered the Texaco garage in Accrington, at around 10pm on June 30.
He threatening the female cashier with the large-bladed knife and demanded she fill a blue carrier bag with cash.
Mr Greenwood had been talking to the woman moments before as he mopped the floor and immediately stepped in to defend her against the intruder.
The pair struggled and father-of-three Mr Greenwood temporarily released his grip on Devlin in order to pick up a bottle of red wine to defend himself and his colleague.
Devlin reached over the counter and grabbed a wad of notes from the till before fleeing the scene with less than £100, leaving his bag behind.
He was later arrested and charged after police matched his fingerprints to the blue bag and Mr Greenwood has been commended for his brave actions which led to the violent thief leaving behind the evidence that helped to convict him.
A police spokesman said: 'The bravery shown by the shop assistant has undoubtedly led to Devlin leaving behind valuable evidence which ultimately led to his arrest and conviction.
'I would like to praise his courage and selfless actions in trying to protect his colleague and stop this terrible ordeal, but we would always urge members of the public to consider their own safety first.
'Devlin is a dangerous criminal and I welcome the sentence he has been given.'

[dooshman]

As courageous as his effort was, it was also quite foolish. Many have died or have been severely injured trying to fend off armed robbers for something that can be replaced (cash). It's best to let those thugs have their way and be gone, without anyone having to pay the ultimate price.

Not to far from where we lived, a bank teller ran after an armed robber, who had held up the institution where the teller worked. The teller was able to tackle the guy outside and hold him for the cops. As it turned out, the bandit was in possession of a toy pistol although the teller and the others hadn't known this. The news declared the teller a hero, but that same fellow lost his job the next day. As it turned out, the bank's policy is no employee shall risk his/her life for something that the insurance can replace.

[concerned1]

[kellyhound]

he was lucky he didnt get stabbed but good to see the robber got 5 years

[Sharon]

Good for him

[prax22a]

Originally Posted by Sharon. ↗

Good for him

Hell yeah good for him!