BULLIES often target the weakest in society and when one thug threatened 73-year-old Derek Greenwood with a knife he must have thought his victim was easy prey.

But Mr Greenwood, who was working at a petrol station at the time, was no pushover.

Despite the serious level of violence he was facing he grabbed a bottle of wine and chased off his yobbish attacker.

He has now received official police recognition for his bravery.

Mr Greenwood said he just acted out of instinct. He said that anyone who was working there would have done the same.

“You can’t just walk away when something like this happens,” he said.

But the truth is that many people half or a quarter of his age would not have done what he did.

His bravery in standing up for honest hard-working people at the hands of violent thugs is highly commendable, even if police would not encourage others to copy him.

His attacker is now in jail and Mr Greenwood should be extremely proud of his actions.