Ann Timson was given the nickname “Supergran” after she confronted a gang of sledgehammer-wielding thieves back in 2011 – she has now sadly passed away
A gran who became a national hero after foiling a jewellery heist by battering a group of armed robbers with her handbag has died aged 85.
Ann Timson was given the nickname “Supergran” after she confronted a gang of sledgehammer-wielding thieves back in 2011. CCTV captured her charging at a gang attempting to rob £100,000 worth of watches from Michael Jones Jeweller in Northampton.
The footage quickly went viral and propelled her to international stardom. She later received a Pride of Britain Award and a Queen’s Commendation for Bravery from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Speaking at the time, Ann, then 71, said: “My mother’s instinct kicked in and I ran across the road shouting at the lads to stop it. I was not going to stand by and watch someone take a beating so I intervened.
“As I got closer I saw it was a robbery and then I was even more angry they felt they could get away with that in broad daylight. One of the gang shot off on a scooter and nearly hit a woman and baby. I clobbered him with my shopping, but he got away. The rest were still trying to smash and grab the jewellery.
“I just kept swinging my bag, then they 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 kept hitting out.”
Five men were jailed for a total of 26 years at Northampton Crown Court after admitting conspiracy to burgle in May 2011. Sentencing at the time, Judge Charles Wide QC said: “The only reason why they did not get away with even more was the extraordinary intervention by Mrs Timson.
“She took on those young men who were armed with sledgehammers. No praise is too high.”
Tributes have now been paid to the hero pensioner who passed away peacefully in her sleep after a period of declining health. Her son Andre Dash said her actions in tackling the thugs armed with nothing more than her handbag came as no surprise.
He said: “The first thing I thought when I saw the footage was that it was obviously my mum because of the bright red hair and bright red coat. What didn’t surprise me was that she ran towards danger.
“She thought a child was being attacked, which is why she ran across the road waving her handbag. It wasn’t until she got there that she realised it was a jewellery robbery. What surprised me was that she wasn’t seriously hurt.
“I actually found out from America. I got a phone call from a journalist in Los Angeles asking me what I thought about what my mum had done and I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.
“I sent them a picture of mum holding my daughter Charlie when she was born because she didn’t have social media. The next thing we knew she was ‘Supergran’.”
Within weeks, Ann was appearing on television across the world. Andre said: “She was on the Today Show in America, appeared on television in Australia, Brazil and Germany, and we even travelled to Hamburg so she could appear on a TV programme there.
“It was extraordinary because my mum was just an ordinary Northampton lady who’d gone out shopping.”
Despite the passing of 15 years since the robbery, Ann remained close to staff at Michael Jones Jeweller, regularly dropping in homemade Christmas cakes and mince pies.
He said: “They were wonderful to her over the years. My mum used to take them cakes every Christmas and they’ve stayed in touch ever since. They’ll be coming to her funeral, which means a great deal to our family.”
Ann spent her entire life in Northampton, growing up before raising Andre as a single mother after his father left when he was just six-months-old.
Andre said: “She was a very hard-working single mum at a time when life wasn’t easy. She worked three jobs to put food on the table. She would hand-sew clothes, walk instead of taking the bus to save money and somehow always found time to bake Christmas cakes and mince pies for neighbours.
“She just worked incredibly hard, but she never complained. My mum didn’t just love Northampton – she was Northampton. She travelled to America, Australia and the Bahamas, but she never wanted to live anywhere else.
“Northampton was home. It was where her friends were and where her heart was. She was the neighbour everybody turned to. If somebody had a problem, she’d put the kettle on, make a cup of tea and somehow make everything better.
“She was friends with everybody. She didn’t have enemies. She connected people and she genuinely cared.”