A PARALYMPIC hopeful insists he’s no hero after attempting to stop a robbery at a Bordon convenience store.
Laurence Morgan was punched and bitten after trying to stop a thief from stealing around £300 of beer from the Ennerdale Road One Stop late on Sunday, December 17.
The disabled artist from Kingsley spent the night in hospital and needed an emergency injection in case of hepatitis B.
He also effectively took on the robber one-handed as he was left with a weaker left arm following a car crash in his youth that left him with serious physical and mental injuries.
Laurence has shown remarkable resilience and is now a successful artist and a paraclimber who competes on the world stage. His actions in One Stop could have jeopardised his career, but his strong moral code meant he couldn’t walk away.
He said: “Because of my brain injury I’m quite logical and I’ve got rigid ideas of right and wrong – I thought I’m not letting this happen.”
He said: “I just stopped in the door and there was a Mexican stand-off.
“That’s when he sunk his teeth into my hand. I thought it was a bit strange but my pig-headedness thought I’m not going to let him do this.”
Laurence did his best to hold off the shoplifter but punches followed. He started to worry about the potential impact on his stronger arm as he’s a world-class paraclimber with hopes of competing at the 2028 Olympics.
He added: “I wouldn’t necessarily recommend what I did.
“We don’t know the robber’s situation and they might be in dire straits themselves.
“Because my left arm doesn’t function I had to use my right arm. But when he started biting and blood started coming out that’s when I had to let go.”
Police have confirmed the events as they were called to reports of an assault at 9.50pm that left a man with injuries to his face and hand.
Witnesses or anyone with information about the pair that left without paying should call 101 quoting 44230514787.
Examples of Laurence’s art can be seen at his @laurencemorganart Instagram page.
Alternatively, If you would like to donate towards Laurence’s 2028 paralympic vision visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/laurenceparaclimbing