Man, 77, who stopped robber dies

Staff said they were upset at Mr Kennedy's death

A 77-year-old man who brought a shop robber to the ground with a whack from his walking stick has died.

Ron Kennedy died on 28 December after suffering flu-like symptoms.

He stepped in when drug addict Richard Coleman, 32, grabbed cash from the till at a Spar store in Old Laira Road, Plymouth, Devon, in March.

Workers at the shop paid tribute to their "hero" Mr Kennedy, whose actions led to Coleman dropping £60 in cash as he fled.

Robber jailed

Store manager Annette Doyle said: "I was absolutely gutted to hear and quite a few of the staff are very upset."

Mr Kennedy, who used a metal walking stick, had gone to his local Spar for a lottery ticket when he heard a shop assistant scream.

As Coleman ran out of the store Mr Kennedy hit him with his walking stick.

His "public-spirited" action was praised by Judge Francis Gilbert when Coleman was sentenced last month.

Coleman, who admitted four robberies at shops in Devon, was jailed for a total of four years.