Last updated at 12:11, Tuesday, 18 December 2012

Many people would probably never dare to get involved if they saw a thief in action.

Richard Fenn with son Jack

But dad-of-two Richard Fenn, 31, was so infuriated when he saw a criminal stealing from Carlisle’s Bank Street branch of Oxfam that he felt he had to intervene.

He was sitting in his car, waiting for his wife Joanne to return from a trip to the bank, when through the shop’s window he saw the thief stuffing DVDs into his jacket pocket behind the back of the elderly counter assistant.

Determined to do the right thing, Richard, from Scotby, marched into the shop and confronted the man as he tried to make his getaway.

“I stood in his way and wouldn’t let him leave the shop,” said Richard, who works in Carlisle as a chef.

“I told him to put the DVDs back but he said that he didn’t have any DVDs. I told him that he had better put the DVDs back or I wouldn’t let him go. He tried to get out of the shop but I wouldn’t let him go, so he put the DVDs back and left.

“The reason I got involved was the person behind the counter was an elderly woman. The manager was upstairs at the time.

“I was also annoyed because it’s Christmas and this was a charity shop.”

Staff at the shop have thanked Richard, who says he has no regrets – despite knowing that other have-a-go-heroes have been injured – and even killed – in similar situations. He insists he wasn’t brave to do what he did.

He said: “I think a lot of people in the same situation would do what I did. You have to do the right thing.”

Joanne, 28, said: “I’m really proud of him.

First published at 11:03, Tuesday, 18 December 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk