Police have thanked three teenagers who grappled a notorious Preston criminal to the ground during an armed raid at a shop in Preston.

Officers were called to the Spar in Woodplumpton Road, Cadley, at 7.15pm on Wednesday December 18 to reports a man had threatened staff with a baseball bat.

When they arrived, they found two boys, 17, and an 18-year-old had detained the man on the floor outside the shop.

He was quickly identified as Stephen Bosanko, who was wanted by police for breaching his licence and was on prison recall.

Bosanko has been jailed repeatedly for offences including robbery, burglary and causing death by dangerous driving. He was first jailed in 1999 when he killed a man in a ‘one punch’ attack.

Read more: Crime news from Blog Preston

Officers discharged their taser and arrested Bosanko. He was later charged with robbery and possession of an offensive weapon and was remanded in custody.

A Preston Police spokesperson said: “We would like to thank everyone who helped our officers, particularly those who showed tremendous bravery in helping to detain Bosanko.”