Nus Ghani returned to visit Mrs Patel, shopkeeper at Maresfield Village Store, following an attempted robbery at the shop.
The attempted robbery, which has been widely reported by local media, took place at around 5pm on the 21st of October and was carried out by a man from Hailsham. During the attempted robbery, Mrs Patel confronted the suspect; however he managed to flee the premises.
The suspect was then reportedly detained by members of the public who were nearby in the village, before being swiftly handed over to the Sussex Police.
Fortunately, thanks to the brave actions of Mrs Patel and other members of the public, no damage was done and no one was hurt during the incident. According to the Sussex Police, the suspect has been charged with robbery and has been remanded in custody ahead of his trial.
Nus has been a regular at the Maresfield Village Store for the past four years. Last week she was able to visit Mrs Patel and thank her for her brave actions and continued service to the Maresfield community.
Commenting on the issue, Ms Ghani said: “I was greatly saddened to hear that a proud local village shopkeeper had been targeted in an attempted robbery. Mrs Patel acted courageously and has not been deterred from continuing to provide top service in the Village Store.
This incident showed the bravery and community spirit of the Maresfield villagers, who not only managed to capture and detain the suspect, but also offered support and comfort to Mrs Patel in the wake of this distressing incident.
I am glad that the Sussex Police arrived at the scene promptly and that no one was hurt during the incident.”
If you have any further information about the incident, please contact the police online at www.sussex.police.uk/contact-us/response-to-appeal, or call 101, quoting serial 1012 of 21/10/.