Heroic moment female shopkeeper grabs knife-wielding robber and drags him out of her shop

This is the heroic moment a female shopkeeper grabbed a knife-wielding robber and dragged him out of her shop.

The brave woman, in her 50s, was working behind the counter when hoodie-wearing Edward Stevenson pulled a blade on her.

But instead of handing over cash the shop-owner grabbed him by the hands and dragged him round the store.

The victim, who does not wish to be named, pulled him all the way to the door and threw him out before defiantly slamming the door.

Stevenson, 41, entered Lanhydrock Stores, Plymouth, at around 7pm on March 30, Plymouth Crown Court heard.

The Lanhydrock Stores shopkeeper, in her personal impact statement, revealed she worked seven days a week in her store, frequently working alone.

She said she saw Stevenson wielding a knife her first emotion was “pure shock and instant fear”.

She said: “Something inside me kicked in, something I partly regret now. I subconsciously thought ‘why should you steal my hard earned money’, the time I have to spend away from my family to get it.

“I won’t let you take what little I have in my till. I grabbed him. I don’t know where my strength came from, but I grabbed his wrists and started pulling him out of my pride and joy - my shop.

“Was I mad grabbing a man with a knife? Absolutely - he could have lashed out. He could have panicked and stabbed me.”

Recorder John Williams sentenced Stevenson, of Plymouth, to three years for the robbery, one year for the attempted robbery to run concurrently.