UK pensioner foils robbery attempt at jewellery shop

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UK pensioner foils robbery attempt at jewellery shop

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A 70-year-old pensioner foiled a robbery attempt at a jewellery shop in Suffolk town of England.

31 July,2012 10:54 pm

Five men have been convicted for armed robbery in Suffolk after a 70-year-old man and a shop worker hindered their attempts to make off with £20,000 of jewellery.A 71-year-old grandfather has been hailed by a judge for his bravery after he helped foil an armed robbery at Thurlow Champness jewellers on Bury St Edmunds in February 2011.Five men, George Paget, 20, Dean Armstrong, 21, Dwayne Marsh, 34, Charlie Kavanagh, 21, and Jed Macdonald, 22, were jailed for a total of 36 years at Ipswich Crown Court.Michael Graver was out shopping with his wife when the gang of armed robbers entered Abbeygate Street on stolen mopeds and attacked jewellers in Abbeygate Street.The retired businessman pushed one of the crooks and confronted another inside the shop, even managing to snatch a bag containing £22,000 of watches from the fleeing raiders.Judge David Goodin paid tribute to the OAPs commendable fortitude and bravery.Mr Graver said he leapt into action to protect his wife.I was really quite annoyed because these guys came on scooters and they nearly hit my wife, he said.I very much hope this will put the criminals off. Everyone we know is getting tired of villains coming up the A12 and M11 to target Suffolk.It is not the first time a pensioner has disrupted a robbery of a jewellery shop. In February last year, a gang of men armed with sledgehammers who attempted to smash into a jewellers shop were repelled by an elderly woman who beat them away with her handbag.