Off-duty shop assistant chased suspect and sits on him till police arrive

Mark Winters was praised by police after pursing the suspect and holding him

Mark Winters was in the queue at Scotmid in East Calder, West Lothian, where he works when he spotted a man leaving the shop with a bulging bag of goods on Friday around 4.50pm.

The 20-year-old gave chase for 100 yards before tackling him to the ground with the help of a passing van driver.

The pair then sat on the suspect for up to 20 minutes before police arrived and arrested the man.

Mr Winters, a recent sports graduate who works in the shop part time, has been praised by police for his efforts.

Mr Winters said: "I came in early to get some snacks before I started and I was in the queue when this guy walked past me.

"I saw he had Persil, packets of meat and jars of Nescafe in this big bag.

"I thought 'I've had enough of this' and went after him.

"I caught up with him, perhaps 100 yards down the road, when he ran out of puff and started walking. I told him I just wanted the stock back, but he kept threatening to stab me."

Mr Winters added: "He went into his pocket and pulled out a black pen, but he was holding it like it was a knife.

"I flagged down a local van driver, who had already been sent to check I was okay by my colleagues in the shop, and together we got him down.

"I screamed at him to get on the ground, like you see in the TV shows, and me and the van driver just sat on him.

"It was 15 or 20 minutes we sat on him until the police got there."

Mr Winters said the goods recovered included four packets of meat, 12 worth of coffee, and non-bio Persil.

Corrine Hardy, a shop assistant who works with Mr Winters at the store in the town's Main Street, said: "He's a real hero, and I was just amazed when he went after the bloke.

"It was really brave to go after him, though, and hold him down until the police got there, as the guy could have had a knife on him."

A spokesman for Scotmid said the firm by no means encouraged staff to put themselves in harm's way, but that they were pleased that Mr Winters had been praised for his efforts.

A police spokesman said: "Lothian and Borders Police would like thank the member of staff from the store who pursued and then detained the man until officers arrived."

A 25-year-old man appeared at Livingston Sheriff Court yesterday and pleaded not guilty to two counts of shoplifting. The case will go to trial in November.