A mum dubbed ‘Rambo’ has been praised by a judge after she chased down and apprehend a robber who stole her son’s watch.
Amanda Marsh, 42, found the assailant in just 30 minutes and punched him ‘squarely in the jaw’ after following him into a chemist.
She ordered the shop worker to lock the doors before phoning police who arrived at the scene and escorted Ashley Hobson, 35, to custody in handcuffs.
A judge has praised Amanda’s ‘public spirited’ citizen’s arrest which saw the petty thief jailed for 16 months.
The Rambo-style hunt came after her son Patrick Venables, 21, was left with minor arm injuries when he was robbed of his Apple watch while in a shop on September 25 this year.
Police told her they would be out to take a statement within 10 days, but Amanda was not prepared to wait.
She was tipped-off about Hobson’s whereabouts after he attempted to sell the watch to her neighbours.
Amanda followed Hobson into a chemist before confronting him and punching him in the jaw after ‘seeing red’ when he refused to hand over the stolen watch.
The former security guard said: “I went up to him and said: ‘That’s my son’s watch. I know it’s you’.
“He said he wouldn’t give me it back, so I saw red and just punched him.
“I got the watch back from him, the chemist locked him in the shop.
“I phoned the police and said: ‘I’ve got him’.
“I’d got him arrested and the watch back within an hour of the robbery taking place.
“Patrick thought it was great, and so did everyone else around here. They’ve started calling me ‘Rocky’ and ‘Rambo’.
“When I was a security guard I had to deal with all sorts so I wasn’t afraid of him.
“He’s my only son, and we’ve both worked hard all of our lives and it’s not right that someone should just rob him of his watch like that.
“When you’ve worked all your life like I have, there are some things you just won’t put up with.”
Police arrived on the scene and Hobson of Holgate Road, Parson Cross, was arrested on suspicion of robbery.
The drug addict – who has 89 previous convictions – admitted robbery and was jailed at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday.
Presiding judge Recorder Christopher Knox praised Amanda for the “determination'” she showed in bringing Hobson to justice.
