Blackbelt Mairi Kerin, 42, had been buying chocolates at a shop in Telford, Shropshire, when a man blocked the exit and demanded money from the cash register, before she intervened
A have a go hero used her karate skills to send a would-be robber packing empty handed from a shop, all while wearing her high heels.
Mairi Kerin, 42, had been buying chocolates when a man came in and began threatening staff at LOCO Convenience Store in Telford, Shropshire. However the simple outing turned dangerous when she heard him tell the shopkeeper he was going to “take his money”.
Luckily, Mairi is a black belt and did not hesitate to use her skills to come to the man’s aid, aiming a couple of well aimed kicks to the would-be thief’s shins. Wisely, he ran away.
Three men were later jailed for the incident andMairi has now been given a Police Chief Superintendent Commendation Award by West Mercia Police following her heroics in March 2023. Mairi said: The time was right, and I’m glad I was there.
“People have asked whether I was scared. No, I was not. I’ve imagined taking the legs of far more people than I will ever need to and have trained with this type of event in mind for over 20 years.
“I have sparred in full-contact sessions with people far heavier than me and have been through the mill many times. As a result, I am confident in my skills and would generally back myself in situations like these against someone of that size.
“In my opinion this is not stupidity or bravado. It’s a reflection of self-belief.”
The encounter was captured on CCTV. She added how moments before the robbery, a family with three children had been in the store.
She added: “I had a bit of a bad back so I was quite slow and as I got out of the car I noticed this person all covered up and thought ‘You look like you’re going to rob a shop’. I remember telling myself you can’t think that about people, can’t pigeon-hole people like that – thought that maybe he’s just got a bike somewhere, he’s been out riding or whatever.”
“I thought something was a little off, I heard the shopkeeper ask ‘Why did you put something against the door?’, and I heard him reply, ‘Because I’m going to take your money’.
“I had been getting ready to pay, so I put my phone and my keys away and then it all happened really quickly. When I saw his left hand still in his pocket I took the chance.
“So I just grabbed his arm and kicked him in the shins. We would later find out a knife and a firearm were involved but whatever was in the left pocket, for that moment it was not coming out.”
Police later revealed the incident was part of a series of robberies carried out across Telford that month. Jordan Hickman, 29, Jake Jones, 21, and an 18-year-old, who could not be named for legal reasons, were later jailed for a combined total of 18 years for their involvement.
Chief Superintendent Edd Williams said: “It was my pleasure to award Mairi with her bravery award. Her quick thinking meant that no one was harmed during this attempted robbery and no money or goods were stolen.
“On behalf of everyone at West Mercia Police I would like to thank Mairi for her actions, which was an inspiring act of bravery from an upstanding member of the public.”
