HAMMER TIME! DIY Great Granny fends off robber

Great Gran fights off thug with hammer

DIY defence. Credit: Creative Common Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

A young thug got more than he bargained for when he attempted to rob a shop only to be met by a feisty pensioner.

Seventy-year-old Supergran, Jean McGill, was at work in Forbes Newsagents in Dundee when she was approached by a man armed with a hammer who then demanded cash from the till, writes The Daily Record, Saturday, June 3.

The incident happened on March 11 this year, around 4.50 am. Jean had not long opened the door to start work when Brian Millar, 26, entered waving a hammer around.

Jean was at the counter when Millar came in with his face covered and hood up, threatened her with a hammer and demanded, ‘give me money.’

Jean was completely taken aback and replied, ‘what?’ Millar responded by raising the hammer higher and repeated his demand.

Canny Granny, Jean takes up the story: ‘He swung and tried to hit me more than once, and came close, but I managed to lean back and get out of the way,’ in what she described as a ‘horrific and terrifying’ attack.

The have-a-go great-grandmother then reached for a hammer under the counter which just happened to be there from a previous job of handiwork: ‘That’s when I got my hammer. I’m not a violent person but a big part of me wishes I skelped him with it, I really do.’

Millar ran for the door but not before he managed to swipe £200 from the till. Jean said: ‘I threw the hammer at him as he tried to get away, but I just didn’t quite hit him.’

Police later tracked Millar down and he later pleaded guilty to assaulting Mrs McGill and admitted to repeatedly trying to strike her with a hammer and robbing £200 cash at Dundee Sheriff Court.

Speaking of Millar, Defending solicitor Mike short said: ‘He lost his dad seven years ago and lost his mum last year. Before he lost his mum he was struggling. He went downhill, taking valium and crack cocaine.’

He also told the court that the video ‘footage supports the fact she is one very brave lady.’

Despite her bravery, the attack has had a profound effect on Jean: ‘I don’t feel safe anymore. It’s just the effect of what that scumbag did. Now, whenever a person comes in, I do a double take.’

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Written by

John Ensor

Originally from Doncaster, Yorkshire, John now lives in Galicia, Northern Spain with his wife Nina. He is passionate about news, music, cycling and animals.

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