71 Year Old Hero Beats Robbers

UK: CCTV recently released a footage that showed Michael Graver, 71, fought robbers as they smashed into a jewellers using stolen scooters on Abbeygate Street in Bury St Edmonds on February 28 2011.

The pensioner, who had been out shopping, confronted the robbers as they were pouring out of the shop's broken doorway.The fight spilled onto the street where the robbers swung at Mr Graver with their sledgehammers.

Mr Graver grabbed a bag from one of the thieves which contained £22,000 worth of watches.The thieves then made their getaway, with passers-by chasing after them.

"I ran into the shop to see what was going on. I wasn't aware there was anybody holding a sledgehammer. I did then see the man with the sledgehammer. He looked at me. I looked at him.  I didn't feel he was going to smash my head in. He wanted to get out. " Mr Graver said.

The thieves were eventually caught after a joint investigation involving Suffolk, Northampton and London Metropolitan police forces.

Dwayne Marsh, 34, of Islington, north London, was last week found guilty at Ipswich Crown Court of conspiracy to commit robbery.He will be sentenced at a later date along with four others, who have already pleaded guilty to the robbery.