A shop manager's rugby tackle on a fleeing thief earned him a £100 reward from a judge yesterday.
Andrew Smart chased two thieves who stole more than £4,000 of jewellery in a smash and grab raid at John Ramsden's pawnbrokers, Bishopton Lane, Stockton, and he brought one down with a flying rugby tackle.
Teesside Crown Court heard that the raiders used a hammer to smash a display cabinet of gold chains and rings.
Judge Les Spittle said that Mr Smart acted with courage and without regard to his own safety and he awarded him £100 from public funds.
The raider he caught, Robert Oliver, 32, of Portrack Lane, Stockton, who pleaded guilty to the theft on February 14, was jailed for two years.
His accomplice, who also admitted other offences, was jailed for three years last week.
Stephen Constantine, defending, said that Oliver had been a drug addict for most of his adult life, and that his client hoped to be cured during his time in prison.
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