Moment robber gets shock of his life when high heel wearing customer turns out to be a black belt in karate

Mairi Kerin, 42, was out shopping for chocolates when a balaclava-clad man stormed into the LOCO Convenience Store in Telford, Shropshire and began threatening staff.

But the would-be thief got more than he bargained for as Kerin, without missing a beat, used her black belt in karate to leap into action.

She grabbed the man, kicking him several times and forcing him to flee the small convenience store terrified.

Footage of the incident captured on CCTV shows Kerin standing up to the alleged shoplifter as he shouted threats at staff.

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Looking back at the moment, Rugeley resident Kerin said: “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 pigeonhole people like that. I thought that maybe he's just got a bike somewhere, he's been out riding or whatever,” she told the MailOnline.

“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'.

“He said it really cool, really calm.

“I had been getting ready to pay, so I put my phone and my keys away and then it all happened really quickly.

“He stepped forward. I could see his pockets were full and I thought he had weapons, my eyes were glued to his pockets.

“I just thought if I was going to wait for whatever it was that was coming out it would be too late.

“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.”

Despite successfully scaring the man off, Kerin said her attack was hampered by wearing a brand new pair of high heels that day.

She said: “I was wearing new heels at the time and I was trying to break them in - I hadn't worn heels since lockdown so I needed some practice.

“That, the bad back, and just not being in the mood resulted in that swagger back to the desk.

“It makes me laugh when I watch it now.

“But I kept thinking of a family I'd seen come out of the store before me, what appeared to be a father and three kids.

“And I remember thinking about how close they had been, they missed it by about 20 seconds.”

Kerin played down her bravery but thanked her two-decade experience with martial arts as West Mercia Police awarded her a special commendation.

She 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 imagining 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.”

According to police, the attempted robbery was carried out by two men and a teenager across Telford that month.

Jordan Hickman, 29, Jake Jones, 21, and an unnamed teenager have been jailed for a combined 18 years for the robberies.

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.”