An Aberdeen have-a go-hero who tackled a knife-carrying thief during a home invasion has said he “acted on instinct” to protect his family during a “nightmare situation”.
Keiren MacPhee, who was awoken by his girlfriend after she heard noises on the stairs at 3am, grappled with burglar Charles Skinner, 42, at his Crimon Place flat until police arrived.
Only then did he become aware Skinner had been armed, though fortunately for him it emerged the Stanley blade had fallen from the thief’s pocket moments earlier.
The 30-year old said he had been “lucky” the incident had not proved more serious and warned other homeowners not to put themselves “at risk”.
Mr MacPhee, a gym instructor and martial arts enthusiast, said he had “acted in the moment” to protect his girlfriend Victoria and her four-year old son.
Fuelled by drink and drugs, Skinner, who had already made off with over £500 of electrical goods, a handbag and purse and the keys for the property, had returned to the house to see what else he could steal.
He was handed a two year prison sentence at Aberdeen Sheriff Court last month.
“My girlfriend woke me up as she’d heard noises,” Mr MacPhee said.
“I went to check it out and he was on the stairs as I switched on the light, so I just grabbed him.
“It all happened in the moment. I didn’t have time to think about what a nightmare situation it was – I just acted on instinct.
“We had a scuffle, but I managed to hold him down and then he told me he had a Stanley knife in his pocket. I just had to keep him there until the police arrived.”
It was only when police officers burst in to the house that the Stanley knife was discovered at the bottom of the stairs.
Skinner already had a number of previous criminal convictions for offences including house-breaking and violence.
Mr MacPhee said: “I just kept thinking about the fact I have a four-year old upstairs, so every time he struggled I just kept putting him back down.
“We now know has carried out attacks on people in the past when caught in houses, so I think I just got lucky.
“One policeman said to me that I did what I had to do to protect my family.”
The gym instructor, a keen boxer who has also trained in jujitsu, has become a hero to Victoria’s young son who says he “beat up the bad guy”.
But Mr MacPhee also warned others not to copy his actions if they don’t feel able to tackle a burglar in their home.
He said: “It definitely depends on who you are in that moment and how you react.
“It comes down to whether you’re a fight or flight person.
“And if you’re not a fight person it’s best to just secure yourself in a room and call the police – don’t put yourself at risk.”