Award for brave schoolboy

Jan 25 2012 by Liam Murphy, Heswall News

A BRAVE Wirral schoolboy who chased after and then helped police catch a mugger has been honoured with a special award.

Carl Kelly, 11, witnessed the mugging of an elderly woman in a New Brighton park last March. The pupil of Mosslands, Wallasey, then chased after the attacker, called the police and gave officers a description which allowed them to catch him nearby.

Carl, who lives in Wallasey, was playing in the park with friends and younger brother Sean, when the woman – out walking her dogs – was approached by a man who pushed her to the ground and stood on her back, before stealing her handbag.

Carl said: “My friends and I chased the man and I called the police and waited with the lady until they arrived.”

Thanks to the description Carl gave the police the mugger was arrested a short distance from the park.

Carl added: “I was asked to go to Bebington police station to make a statement and had to go to Liverpool to identify the man. I also gave video evidence in court.”

The victim, who was left extremely shaken by the ordeal, has since said the prompt actions of Carl and his friends helped her to come to terms with it.

Rusty Keane, chair of the North Wirral Crime Prevention Panel, visited Carl’s school for a special assembly and to present Carl with a certificate in recognition of “a young person’s commitment to community” and a £25 WH Smith gift voucher.

She said: “I sometimes have to have words with youngsters in Vale Park for behaving badly, so it is fantastic to award someone for doing a good deed. Carl is a credit to his family, the Mosslands school and the whole Wallasey community.”

Carl’s proud mum, Angela Kelly, added: “We are very proud of what Carl did. Nowadays bad things happen and people walk by, which Carl didn’t do.”