A 70-year-old former wrestler aided police in the apprehension of two hapless criminals, after spotting them running past his favourite Dundee bar.
John Pearson was enjoying a glass of wine on Thursday evening at the Bush Bar, when the manager of nearby pub Rewind ran in to say two men had sprinted from her premises without paying for their meals.
Mr Pearson, who is a second-dan belt in judo, went outside to investigate, but could see no-one matching the description of the two men on the Seagate.
Heading back inside, Mr Pearson asked the manager of the Bush Bar to use the Radiolink system, which keeps retailers, restaurants and pubs connected to each other, and is one of the city’s crime prevention methods.
A matter of moments later John heard a shout from outside from the Rewind manager who had spotted one of the dine-and-dashers on the street.
As quick as a flash he caught hold of him — and held on until the police arrived.
After the police had put the criminal in the back of their van, John nipped outside the bar for a cigarette, only to spot the second slippery customer.
He again managed to restrain him until the police arrived.
“I saw the other guy looking round the corner from across the street,” said John.
“So I crossed the road, got a hold of him, and handed him over to the police.
“The two boys must have been in their twenties, and they didn’t resist. I just put them in an armlock.”
It transpired the two fleet-footed crooks had tried the same trick earlier in the evening, at a popular restaurant in the Overgate.
City centre manager Sarah Craig praised the use of the Radiolink system, in helping apprehend the dine-and-dash-duo.
She said: ”Security staff in Overgate used the Radiolink system to advise DUNCAN scheme members of two men who had left a restaurant in the shopping centre without paying. Through effective Radiolink communication and excellent CCTV work, the men were traced a short time later in Seagate where they were both arrested.
”Radiolink has been operating in Dundee City Centre since 1997 and we have over 100 members in both the day time and evening economies. The system enables information to be shared quickly and securely between members and has been instrumental in both detecting and preventing crime. Members also use the system to share information about missing or vulnerable people in the city centre.”
A spokesman for Police Scotland’s Tayside division said: “We can confirm that two males were arrested on Thursday evening on the Seagate in regards to two incidents.”
John, who used to run a number of discos and bars in the city, has faced personal tragedy in recent months, after his daughter Julie died in Israel.
The Pearson family are still fighting for justice for Julie, in the belief that she was beaten to death. An Israeli police investigation concluded the Kinross-shire woman had died of natural causes.
Recently, the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said he would intervene in the case.
