This dramatic footage shows a brave shop worker grappling with a thief and managing to rip off his coat before he fled.
The crook jumped over the counter and snatched the bottles before he was stopped in his tracks by Jayne Callear.
She held on to his coat during the struggle but he manages to wriggle free and flees the Newswise newsagent shop in Newchapel, StokeonTrentLive reports.
The man entered the store and inquired about gifts for his parents' 50th wedding anniversary when he struck at 5.45pm on October 9.
Jayne, 55, who lives in Fegg Hayes, said: “He had already put biscuits on the counter when he started to ask for top-shelf alcohol.
“He was asking for them one by one, so I thought something was strange. I told him I would double-bag them and took the items off the till and put the bags on the floor under the counter.
“I was using the stepladder for the top shelf, which blocked me inside the counter area.
“He came to the side of me asking for penny sweets. I knew it was because he wanted me to move the ladder.
“He asked how much his items came to and I told him it was around £50. He picked up more items and then started to ask for bottles of wine.
“As I grabbed a second bottle, he jumped over the counter and grabbed the bags.
“I have always said that if someone came into the shop I would just let them take whatever they want, just leave me alone. It didn't work that way – I grabbed his coat and shouted at him."
Jayne has worked at Newswise for 37 years – and has been targeted by thieves before.
She added: “My son and daughter have gone ballistic. I lost my husband to cancer in December, which was devastating.
“They said they could have been without a mum and a dad. I just didn’t think and I was so angry.”
The CCTV shows the cancer-hit owner rush to Jayne's aid after being alerted to the raid.
Owner Michael Prosser, 71, said: “We have 30 cameras around the shop now, as well as a buzzer to alert people in the house if something is wrong.
Source: Read Full Article