Watch moment Yorkshire shopkeeper defends his store against armed robber

The video shows the moment Alan Carter-Ashton raided a newsagents in the Skellow area of Doncaster, smashing a glass counter and demanding the shopkeeper empty the till.

However, the 46-year-old didn’t count on the shopkeeper fighting back, courageously grappling with him and pushing him out of the store after pressing a panic alarm button.

Carter-Ashton, who was armed with a metal bar and a BB gun, fled the scene on a bike but was arrested hours later on January 8.

He managed to steal £8.97 worth of vape liquids during the raid, and caused £380 worth of damage.

The robber, of Lodge Road, Carcroft, admitted robbery, possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and possessing an imitation firearm and was jailed for six years and eight months at Sheffield Crown Court on March 20.

Detective Constable Joseph Albutt, of South Yorkshire Police, said: “This was a horrific armed robbery which could have resulted in serious injury to an innocent shopkeeper, who showed immense bravery and quick-thinking in defending the store and apprehending Carter-Ashton.

"The ordeal he went through, however, is simply unacceptable. No retail worker deserves to be threatened, harassed, abused or assaulted in the workplace and I can't imagine the fear he must have felt when faced with Carter-Ashton's violent behaviour.

"Carter-Ashton was identified by officers and nearby shopkeepers as a known and prolific shoplifter in the local area.

"We are grateful to the victim in for dialling 999 and reporting this incident to us, and I hope this case goes to show the importance of making those reports, regardless of the value of what is stolen and the nature of the incident.

"We will investigate every single shoplifting offence reported to us. The sooner we know about an incident of shoplifting, the sooner we can act, and we do see a correlation between early reporting and a higher prosecution rate."