The have-a-go-hero pensioner who bravely fought off six Northampton jewellery shop robbers with her swinging handbag has spoken for the first time about her Supergran antics.
The gang of robbers came armed with sledgehammers and began breaking into the jewellers in Northampton, Northants.
But they fled the scene after the woman, in her 70s, set upon them brandishing her handbag like a flail and clobbered the robbers without any care for her own safety.
The modest woman, who has not been named, denied she was a hero and revealed she stepped into the fray because other bystanders stood by and ”did nothing”.
She said: ”I was standing talking with a woman when I heard a commotion and I looked across and saw six young men on scooters.
”At first I thought one of them was being set upon by three others. I was not going to stand by and watch somebody take a beating or worse so I tried to intervene.
‘What concerned me was that too many people just stood around watching as if they were in shock and nobody was doing anything.
”When I got closer to them I realised it was a robbery and then I was even more angry that they felt they could get away with what they were doing in broad daylight.
”One of the gang shot off down Gold Street on a scooter and nearly hit a woman and baby in her buggy.
”I clobbered him with my shopping but he got away. The rest of them were still trying to smash and grab at the jewellery.
”I didn’t know what happened next but I just kept swinging my bag.
”They then tried to escape, I landed several blows against one lad on the back of a bike and brought him to the ground.
”He raised a hammer to me so I just kept hitting out and shouting and shouting for others to help and bring them down.
”Several people then came to help. It was over in what seems like seconds.
”I’m not a hero and it was maybe foolish of me to get involved but somebody had to do something.”
The woman added that she is pleased that four people have been arrested in connection with the robbery.
Police have arrested four men in connection with the raid, which took place at 9.30am on Monday, in full view of shoppers and other businesses.
An 18-year-old man, 25-year-old man and 39-year-old man were arrested at Northampton train station while a fourth man aged 22 was arrested at an address in Lower Bath Street.
The astonishing raid was captured by freelance cameraman, Ben Jacobson, who was filming an NHS documentary outside All Saints Church, Northampton.
He said: ”We were just in town filming some shots of Northampton for a video for Changing Minds, the NHS mental health organisation.
”The shop was behind me and when it happened I just went into cameraman mode.
”All I was thinking was getting it framed, getting it in focus, so when the police asked me later about what happened I had to look at the video to remember it.
”It was amazing, it was just one of those bizarre things.”
Watch the incredible footage below:
