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Watch as jeweller fights off sword and axe-wielding raiders
MOST people would be paralysed by fear when confronted by armed robbers but one Yorkshire jeweller didn't think twice when faced with two men wielding an axe and a sword. Watch what happened next…
John Bradley leapt into action to defend himself and his business - grappling with the masked raiders and disarming one of his sword before attacking the pair with their own weapon after they stormed into his shop.
Now the 40-year-old jeweller has released dramatic and shocking footage showing the moment he took on and defeated the intruders - after a man was last week cleared by a jury of being the getaway driver.
The men who carried out the bungled raid on the morning of September 11 have never been caught and Mr Bradley has released the footage in the hope that more people can come forward to trace the culprits.
Mr Bradley was checking over his morning emails and drinking a cup of green tea when the thieves burst into his exclusive bespoke jewellery shop in Saltaire, West Yorkshire.
The married father-of-two, who was alone at the time of the incident in September last year, reacted immediately by pushing at the robber armed with the sword before grappling with him and the other thief near the front door.
Despite sustaining an injury to his hand, the CCTV footage of a scene reminiscent of a blockbuster movie shows him disarming the robber of his sword and then attacking the pair with their own weapon.
Except for a whirlwind of destruction left by Mr Bradley as he defended his business - which had 200,000 worth of stock locked in a safe on that day, both robbers left empty-handed and made their getaway in a car waiting outside.
Mr Bradley said: "I can take comfort in the fact that there was a little bit of justice and that was dished out on the day. If anything, they came out of it in a worse situation than I was.
"They seriously lost out, didn't get away with anything and they were attacked with their own weapon. We got justice on the day. You have two choices if this sort of thing happens: A. Stand there and get attacked by a couple of men and watch them ruin your livelihood or B. Do something about it.
"Even if they had made off with anything, this is a bespoke jewellers so nearly everything is traceable. They were complete idiots."
Mr Bradley has been in the industry for the last 15 years and trading for the last six - three of those spent at his current premises, Dot the Jewellers, in Saltaire.
"I think the whole incident lasted about 40 seconds. I just acted out of instinct and then I got the sword off him," he said.
"Luckily the sword was decorative and not very sturdy or my hand injuries would have been much worse."
Despite minor surgery on his hand to make sure there was no nerve damage the jeweller remains philosophical about the experience.
He said: "It was 40 seconds dealing with the pondlife of society against six years of dealing with the most brilliant people."
He added that his wife Annette had a few choice words to say to him, mostly expletives, when he returned home and told her what had happened.
"I perhaps saw it from a slightly masculine point of view, I won. I'd like to think I would do it again, I don't want to live in a world where people think they can get away with this. I acted in self-defence and self preservation," said Mr Bradley.
But he added that it was "very frustrating" that there have not been any convictions.
"What makes the frustration greater is that I think the police actually did a very good job," he said. "A lot of people came forward to give witness statements to the police. I had plenty of support in the area but unfortunately it's not led to anyone being caught. At the very least, if nobody is convicted maybe people will think twice about coming into my shop."
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Friday 24 May 2013
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