Shaun Andrew McKerry may have been armed with an axe, but that didn't stop a brave shopkeeper ending his almost two decade crime spree.
The ex-juvenile offender, dubbed Boomerang Boy or Homing Pigeon Boy in his youth, came off second best after he tried to rob the Shildon Post Office and Stores, County Durham, on March 15.
The masked 31-year-old was threatening shop assistant Andfrea Brighty with an axe, and demanding cash, when he was blindsided by shop owner Sab Dhillon who tackled him to the floor.
The Shildon Post Office and Stores, County Durham, that Shaun Andrew McKerry tried to rob with an axe
As the men wrestled, and with McKerry still holding the axe, Dhillon's wife Sam joined the struggle, using a baseball bat to force the intruder to drop his weapon.
In CCTV footage of the fight blood can be seen coming from McKerry's nose as Dhillon gestures to his wife to drop the bat. Minutes later the police arrive and arrest McKerry.
McKerry was today jailed for six years having earlier pleaded guilty to attempted robbery at Durham Crown Court.
McKerry, from Coundon near Bishop Auckland, earned his nicknames by always returning home after committing a crime.
He started shoplifting at the age of 12 and by 15 had been arrested 80 times. McKerry also has convictions for aggravated vehicle-taking, sending indecent letters, and burglary.
He once stole 22 charity boxes while dressed as a woman, and locals dubbed him a one-man crime wave.