Gang-basher woman denies heroics

A pensioner who fought off a gang of crash-helmeted robbers wielding sledgehammers after she beat them with her handbag says she is “not a hero”.

The woman, who does not want to be identified, ran across a road towards the six-strong mob as they smashed the windows of a jeweller’s in Northampton.

The raiders, who arrived at the scene on three scooters, drove away moments after the red-coated pensioner, thought to be aged in her 70s, began lashing out at them with a large black handbag.

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Yesterday the woman said that when she first saw the gang she thought there was a fight going on and it was only when she got closer to them that she realised it was an attempted robbery.

She felt angry the gang thought they could get away with it and when one of the men on a scooter nearly ploughed into a woman and a baby in its buggy, she saw red. “I clobbered him with my shopping, but he got away.”

She brought down one man but said: “I’m not a hero and it was maybe foolish of me to get involved but somebody had to do something.”

Police said four people had been arrested and two were being sought.