BRAVEHEART
DEREK FEELS LIKE WILLIAM WALLACE AS HE USES MEAT CLEAVER AND CURRY POT LID TO SEND THUG FLEEING
A takeaway boss has told how he felt like William Wallace after arming himself with a curry pot lid and meat cleaver to fend off an armed raider.
Hero Derek Tang, 44, jumped to protect his staff after the robber burst into his shop and brandished a weapon.
The quick-thinking businessman grabbed the first thing he could to protect himself during the standoff - and said it left him feeling like the Scottish legend.
He had been working at the
China-Town takeaway late at night when he heard a loud bang from the front of the shop.
He walked out to see a member of staff cowering down on the floor, before seeing the robber who had stormed in on Saturday night .
Derek, who has run the Linwood takeaway for 12 years, said he moved quickly to defend himself and those who were in the shop with him.
He told the Express: “I heard a really loud bang while I was in the back and knew that something wasn’t right.
“When I came out, I noticed one of the guys who works in the shop and then realised what was happening.
“I just grabbed the first thing I could see to protect myself, which was a curry pot lid and a cleaver.
“I felt a bit like William Wallace with a sword and a shield.
“We ended up having a bit of a stand-off. “I was just thinking that I needed to protect everyone in the shop. That was more important than any cash in the till.”
Derek says thankfully the coronavirus pandemic has reduced the cash intake of the shop as a number of people pay online using their debit cards.
However he now says he fears he could be a target for crime due to faulty streetlights outside his business - which is located within Mossedge Industrial Estate in Linwood.
Derek claims the lights regularly cut out, leaving the street outside his shop in complete darkness.
He added: “The lights work for an hour or so each night and them they completely turn off. When it’s dark you can’t see a thing on the street.
“It is something that will be a big concern for us as the winter months approach as it gets dark so early.
“We worry that we will be a bit of a target as we are vulnerable when we have no light to see what is happening outside.
He added: “Thankfully just now, only five per cent of my takings are in cash so it hasn’t affected us too badly.
“But it was more important for me to protect my staff than the cash in the till.”
A council spokesperson said: “We can confirm we received a report of an issue with street lighting at this location. An electrician has now attended and fixed the fault and restored lighting to the industrial estate.”
A spokesman from Police Scotland confirmed a man had been arrested and charged with alleged assault and theft offences.