A DEFIANT shopkeeper refused to open his till to a would-be robber holding a gun an inch from his face.

Jonathan Dunkin, 68, said he realised the handgun which was being brandished in his face was not real.

As he looked up from the till, he batted the weapon away with his hand.

He said: “It felt too light to be a real pistol. But I watched as he squeezed the trigger several times and saw him cocking the gun.

“He was shouting ‘open the f****** till, I’ll shoot you’. I knew if I was to be shot from that range it would be instant death.

“I dropped down behind the counter because he kept cocking it and I thought ‘Maybe it is real’.”

Mr Dunkin instantly shut and locked the till. While the thug, identified as Scott Cotier, repeatedly threatened Mr Dunkin, the brave shopkeeper grabbed a phone and dialled 999.

After Cotier, 22, made his escape Mr Dunkin stayed on the phone to the police while calmly serving customers.

The CCTV footage of the incident can be watched here.

The grandad has run 7 two 11, in High Street, Clacton, for 26 years.

He describes the job as “therapy” in the wake of a serious stroke in 1996.

He had open heart surgery two years later and his mobility is limited.

Clacton and Frinton Gazette:

Mr Dunkin, pictured right, said: “This job fills in these gaps for me. I can’t walk far, but here I am my own boss and can make sure to have a sit down when I need to.

“Walk-out thefts are an almost daily occurrence.

“I deal with theft, attempted or actual, with the threat of force at least once a week. I must praise the police call handler, who stayed on the phone with me for 20 minutes while the armed response unit travelled to the shop from Chelmsford.”

Cotier, of no fixed address, admitted charges of attempted robbery and possession of an imitation firearm with intent. He is due to be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court tomorrow.

Clacton and Frinton Gazette:

Mr Dunkin said he hopes to attend court, look his attacker in the eye, and read out the following statement: “I assume you will have time to reflect on your action that night.

“Try to imagine sitting with your wife, your mother, or even your daughter in years to come watching the CCTV of that night. Imagine how you would explain to them why you did this.

“Imagine watching CCTV of your mother being robbed at gunpoint, how would that make you feel? Then imagine how my daughter feels watching you hold a gun one inch from my face.

“It is the measure of a person not how they handle success, but how they handle adversity.

“You are by no means the only one to have a problem, the trick is to not let it ruin your adult life.”