Nine years' jail for thief foiled by pensioners

A ROBBER foiled by "pensioner power" when he targeted a Borders village post office was jailed for nine years yesterday.

Patrick Loyden was armed with a knife and masked by a crash helmet when he burst into the office in Town Yetholm, near Kelso, and demanded cash.

But the postmistress, Sheila Jeffrey, 72, fought back and she and her daughter tried to block his escape.

Loyden managed to flee with a handful of notes, but his getaway vehicle was chased by another couple of pensioners. Peter and Ann Mather, 77 and 76, raced through narrow country roads to note the registration number.

Within three hours, the vehicle was traced and Loyden arrested.

A judge praised the pensioners for their "courage and public spiritedness" as he jailed Loyden, 41, a handyman, of Cornhill-on-Tweed, Northumberland, at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Kenneth Maciver, QC, said Mrs Jeffrey and her daughter, Angela Lyall, 49, a postwoman, had shown "brave resistance and courageous intervention" when confronted by Loyden, and that the "determination" of Mr and Mrs Mather had played a large part in bringing him to justice.

"I commend their actions," he said.