Pudsey shopkeeper bravely fought off knife-wielding robber by swinging hammer at him

The plucky worker quickly reacted to Liam Hurley's demand to "empty the till" by grabbing the hammer from beneath the counter and swinging it at the eight-inch kitchen knife to knock it out of his hand.

Leeds Crown Court heard that Hurley had walked into HH Local on Waterloo Road in Pudsey just before 5pm on July 19 last year.

He grabbed a bottle of wine and placed it on the counter. But he became aggressive when the worker asked if he was going to pay due to his strange behaviour, before pulling out the knife and demanding the cash.

The worker then grabbed the hammer and swung it, before fleeing the shop and pulling the metal shutters down behind him to lock Hurley inside.

The police were called and arrested the 22-year-old from inside the premises. He gave no comments during his police interview but later admitted a charge of attempted robbery.

The court heard that Hurley, of Victoria Rise, Pudsey, has a previous conviction for possessing a bladed article in 2020 after a lock knife was found in his coat pocket. He told police he was "suffering from dark thoughts" and "wanted to kill someone".

Mitigating, Eleanor Durdy said the “facts spoke for themselves” over the attempted robbery, but said the shop worker was easily able to disarm Hurley.

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She said that he suffers from “psycho developmental issues” and was drinking heavily at the time, having been downing booze for “four days straight”. She said his actions, although hazy, were a "cry for help" and he “could not believe he did something like that”. She said he now had got himself clean from drink and drugs.

Judge Richard Mansell KC told him: “You were foiled by the bravery and actions of the complainant. The real concern I have is the risk of harm you present.”

However, he gave him a two-year sentence suspended for 18 months. He also gave him 100 hours of unpaid work and an 18-month exclusion requirement to keep him away from the shop.