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Posted: 27-01-2013 20:30 Post subject:

Bookmaker gunman: Alan Levers' family say 'no revenge'

The family of a gunman who died after being restrained by four customers in an attempted robbery have said "there will be no revenge" over his death.
Alan Levers, 50, entered Ladbrokes in Crownhill Road, Plymouth on Friday, wearing a gas mask and holding a suspected imitation pistol.
Police found him unconscious and he died minutes later.

Nephew Peter Levers said his uncle had been trying to conquer drugs and added: "We don't hold anybody responsible".
Mr Levers, who also lives in the city, said: "He was a career criminal, but things were going all right for him for once.
"He was staying off the drugs, he had the whole family behind him.
"The last time I saw him was Thursday evening. He went out fishing and he came back with a big smile on his face."
Mr Levers said that his uncle had four teenage children in Plymouth and his partner also lived in the city.

Alan Levers, from the Honicknowle area of Plymouth, was pinned down by the four customers before police arrived at the bookmakers.
No charges have been made and Ch Supt Andy Bickley described the customers as "extremely brave".
In a statement he said: "His [Levers'] family are being supported by police and our thoughts and condolences are with his family at this sad and difficult time."

He added: "The firearm has been initially examined by a police firearms officer and it appears to be an imitation pistol, though this still needs to be verified.
"I would like to add however that there would have been no way of knowing this at the time of the incident. "
A spokesman for Ladbrokes said the company was assisting police.

The case has also been voluntarily referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) by Devon and Cornwall Police.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-21220658

On TV a senior police officer said no-one would be charged as a result of the death. Maybe I'm just reading between the lines, but I got the feeling the cops are glad to be rid of a 'career criminal' with the minimum of fuss and paperwork. Mr Lever certainly conned his family if they thought he'd quit his nefarious ways.

Posted: 28-01-2013 08:08 Post subject:

Posted: 28-01-2013 10:30 Post subject:

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Posted: 11-02-2013 18:40 Post subject:

Wisbech attackers 'fought off by landlord holding chips'

A pub landlord trained in martial arts has said he fought off four attackers without dropping his fish and chips.
John Wood, 37, said he was stabbed with a screwdriver while walking back to his car from Frank's fish and chip shop in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

Mr Wood, who runs a pub in Marshland St James in Norfolk, said he "disabled" two men by kicking them in the knees.

He said by coincidence his fiancee texted him while the robbery was happening, urging him to be careful.
'Dangerous out there'

Mr Wood, who learned the Japanese art of Aikido as a teenager, said he was approached by four young men on Thursday as he walked down an alleyway close to Lynn Road at about 21:00 BST

"They said 'we want your wallet' and then my phone rang and they said 'we'll have your phone as well'," he said.

"The irony was it was my fiancee who messaged me saying, 'be careful - it's dangerous out there'.

"I said, 'If you want it, you'll have to come and get it'."

He said he managed to kick the first two men in the knees and, using one hand, fought off the third.

A fourth man then stabbed him in his chest but he said he wrestled the screwdriver off him before throwing it away.
'Really scary'

Mr Wood said he drove home and ate his fish and chips - which he managed to keep in one hand the whole time without dropping anything - before telling his partner about the incident.

"I do feel lucky - if they had stabbed me one inch over it would have hit my liver and my lung and someone would have found me bleeding in an alleyway instead," he said.

His fiancee Claire Upton said: "I texted him because it was dark and you do worry about these things, but you don't expect them to happen to someone you know.

"It wasn't bleeding profusely and he refused to go to hospital but he eventually drove himself there because he said it felt odd. It was really scary."

Cambridgeshire Police said they were contacted by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn to say Mr Wood had been stabbed and have appealed for witnesses.

Posted: 20-02-2013 18:37 Post subject:

Posted: 05-08-2013 19:59 Post subject:

Taunton Lloyds Bank customers stop machete-wielding raider

Two customers apprehended a man armed with a machete when he tried to rob a bank in Taunton town centre.
A man wielding the weapon was reported to have run in to Lloyds Bank in Fore Street just before midday shouting "this is an armed robbery".
One of the customers, Darren Frost, said: "We got him in an arm lock and got rid of the machete".

Police said a 32-year-old man was later arrested on suspicion of robbery. No money was taken.

Mr Frost said: "We just took [the raider] to the floor and restrained him and just laid on him basically - put him in an arm lock and restrained his legs and just left him there.
"We got rid of the machete - we just took his machete away, we grabbed it off his arm."

When asked if he was scared, Mr Frost said: "No, not really - I don't know why, it was just adrenalin I suppose."
Eyewitness Robert Pink said: "It was all over in two seconds - it took longer for the police to arrive.
"It was the girls behind the check out that I was anxious for really. They're in a terribly vulnerable position.
"I didn't realise until now just how open plan it is and how easy it is for someone to come in and do that."

Avon and Somerset police ask anyone with information or who may have witnessed the incident to contact them.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-23578068

Posted: 10-08-2013 07:52 Post subject:

Burglar left bruised and bleeding by retired boxer, 72
A burglar who broke into a house and threatened a pensioner with a knife got more than he bargained for when the victim turned out to be a retired boxer who left him bruised and bleeding.
By Richard Savill
2:16PM BST 30 Jun 2009

Frank Corti, 72, who served with the Royal Engineers in North Africa from 1956-58, dodged the knife and punched Gregory McCalium, 23, twice in the face, giving him a black eye and a swollen lip. He then restrained the attacker until police arrived.

McCalium, a barman, was given a four-and-a-half year prison sentence at Oxford Crown Court on Monday for aggravated burglary and was told by the judge he had "got what he deserved".

The court heard Mr Corti was at home in Botley, Oxford, with his wife Margaret, 72, when McCalium, a neighbour, forced his way in at 8am on Aug 19 last year. McCalium was drunk.

Speaking after the case, Mr Corti said: "I was scared when he first drew the knife, but my old training must have kicked in because I just punched him as hard as I could and he went down like a sack of spuds. If you can't defend what's yours, where are we at?"

McCalium had denied the charge and claimed he could not remember what happened.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/5698062/Burglar-left-bruised-and-bleeding-by-retired-boxer-72.html

A classic of the genre! Very Happy

Posted: 10-08-2013 08:13 Post subject:

Looks painful. Very Happy

Posted: 10-08-2013 11:13 Post subject:

The old boy beat him pretty badly.

Well done that man! Laughing

Posted: 10-08-2013 11:15 Post subject:

Sometimes you just have to sit back and applaud someone from afar. Mr Corti, you are my hero of today!

Posted: 10-08-2013 11:18 Post subject:

Wouldn't surprise me me if the police arrested him for hurting the poor guy.

Posted: 10-08-2013 14:47 Post subject: