Hamilton newsagent hurls cans of pens and a lamp to frighten off bandit with carving knife

A 30cm-long carving knife was not enough to persuade the Hamilton business owner from giving up some cash and cigarettes during an early morning raid on Saturday.

Instead, the brave victim hurled cans of pens and a lamp at his attacker as startled customers looked on and the bandit reeled back.

The fightback was one of at least two courageous acts by crime victims across Newcastle on Saturday, with a 30-year martial arts veteran giving some back to a bunch of cowardly thugs who attacked him from behind in an robbery at Carrington.

Newcastle City detectives are investigating both incidents, and released closed circuit television footage of the Beaumont Street knife robbery in a bid to identify the masked suspect.

The footage first shows him approaching the business from the pre-dawn darkness just before 6am.

Within moments he has the large carving knife pointing at the newsagent, who quickly grabs a can of pens before throwing them at the attacker.

They are followed by more pens and a lamp before the suspect retreats – within only a few seconds – and escapes back into the darkness.

A startled early morning customer is seen to almost walk into the suspect before realising they had walked into a crime.

No one was injured and detectives are now hunting the assailant, described as Caucasian and about 172cm tall.

Some 14 hours later, a martial arts instructor fought fought back against three street thugs who jumped him from behind as he walked home from a Carrington pub.

The victim fell to the ground after being hit from behind about 8.30pm.

He told police he could hear three voices as he was being kicked.

But he got to his feet and fought back, landing at least one kick to one of his attackers’ heads or body before the other two ran off.

The man, who had 30 years’ experience in martial arts, suffered some facial cuts and abrasions, as well as bruising to his ribs from the kicking.