A JUDGE has commended the “extraordinary” courage of a Kendal woman for tackling a robber who claimed he was armed with a knife as he targeted the Spar shop she managed.

Despite being threatened and repeatedly pushed away by 41-year-old James Karl Dean as he tried to steal cash from the Sandylands Road store, Sharon Walker-Clement  refused to be beaten.

She even chased after the robber as he fled. 

This was despite her having had a hip replacement and despite Dean issuing her with a “chilling threat” the come back to get her, Carlisle Crown Court heard. Dean, of Park Road, Birkenhead, had earlier admitted robbing Ms Walker-Clement on May 19, when he escaped with just over £1,000 in cash.  

Tim Evans, prosecuting, outlined how Ms Walker had just returned to the shop after helping a customer whe she was confronted in the first-floor office by the defendant.

He was holding three carrier bags, each of them crammed with cash, including numerous coins which had been counted by Ms Walker-Clement while "cashing up". 

When Ms Walker asked him what he was doing, and he replied: “I’ve got a knife in my bag and I will hurt you.” 

Mr Evans then described what the shop manager did next. “She extremely courageously launched herself at him, pushing him back and grabbing one of the bags,” explained the barrister.

There was a struggle during which one of the bags split, spilling the coins on to the floor, at which point Dean pushed Ms Walker-Clement backwards on to a desk as he began running out of the office. 

“She again courageously grabbed hold of his T-shirt and he at that point turned towards her and grappled with her,” continued Mr Evans. As the struggle continued, a second bag ripped open. 

The defendant’s T-shirt was ripped because Ms Walker-Clement refused to let go of Dean. He again pushed her, causing her to bang her head against a wall. At this point, they were facing each other. 

Mr Evans said: “At last, faced with the formidable resistance he was experiencing, he then fled.” But even then, as she grabbed a phone to call the police, Ms Walker-Clement  pursued Dean from the shop, chasing him along the street.

“She ran as fast as she could,” said Mr Evans. “But due to a hip replacement, she couldn’t run very far.” At one point, during the pursuit, Dean turned towards her and said: “I’m coming back for you, you grass.” 

The court heard that Dean’s criminal record consists of 126 previous offences, including theft, burglary and affray. 

Megan Tollit, defending, set out the background to the offence. 

She said Dean had been with his partner for a Lake District camping trip and the Spar shop in Kendal was not one he was familiar with. “He went there to get water for their trip,” said Miss Tollit. 

But once inside the shop, he saw the door to the office and impulsively fell back into his old ways.  

Dean at the time was struggling with various mental health conditions, including ADHD, compulsive obsessive disorder and depression, said the barrister.

“Once released he has struggled to cope, having spent most of his adult life in a custodial setting,” said Miss Tollit. Affected also by the death of his mother, he had used cocaine as a "coping mechanism." 

The defence barrister added: “He realises that things need to change…His anxiety and depression medication have been increased while he has been in custody. But his ADHD made him behave impulsively."

Recorder Ian Unsworth QC said: “I would like to commend Sharon Walker-Clement, the manager of the store in Kendal, for her extraordinarily courageous behaviour. On that day, she behaved in a way that few would and she ought to be commended for that.” 

The judge described Dean’s offence as “terrifying.”  

Though he did not actually have a knife, Ms Walker would not have known that, said the judge. He told Dean: “Being confronted by Ms Walker-Clement, you confronted her, you threatened her with violence.” 

Dean left the woman uttering a “chilling” threat about returning to find her, noted the judge. “The aggravating features in this case substantially outweigh the mitigating features,” he concluded. 

Judge Unsworth jailed Dean for four years. 

The judge added that he would formally recommend Ms Walker for a High Sheriff Award in recognition for her bravery that day.