A village shopkeeper has spoken of her terror the moment she stared down the barrel of a robber's gun and chillingly heard a bang.

The kindly store boss admitted that she believed she was about to die.

She had been confronted by would-be robber Kieran McCarthy who was dressed in camouflage gear, goggles and carrying a bag with the weapon at the store in Wrotham.

After the botched raid, he ran away and later claimed he was asleep at the time.

But police examined his mobile phone and realised he had been checking on KentOnline to find out what was being reported.

The menacing gunman had gone into Harden's Mini Market, High Street brandishing the realistic-looking weapon.

But the courageous Christina - full name Amutha Christiana Vamadevan - stood her ground and didn't hand over any cash.

It was then, Maidstone Crown Court heard, that she heard the weapon being cocked and heard a bang. She said: "I thought, 'I'm dead'. That's it. My heart was racing."

Amazingly McCarthy - who was known as a regular at the friendly village store - brazenly returned the following day as the shopkeeper was being interviewed by police officers.

She told the stunned detectives that the would-be robber was in the store and he was nabbed as he left.

At his home in nearby West Street, Wrotham, he claimed he had been fast asleep and got family to support his lies.

Prosecutor Ian Foinette told how the troubled 24-year-old had gone to the store in Wednesday, May 15 at 5.20pm to carry out a hold up.

He told how he took the weapon - which turned out to be a BB gun - and pointed it at the terrified Christina.

Mr Foinette added that McCarthy then pointed the weapon at a builder who was in the shop with a work pal.

As McCarthy left, he was followed by one of the builders but managed to escape.

The following day, as two police officers were interviewing Christina, she whispered to them that the robber was back in the store.

McCarthy - a would-be plumber and mechanic- claimed he had been sleeping but officers checked his browsing history on his mobile phone and found links to KentOnline.

The prosecutor added: "He was clearly concerned what was being reported, checking at intervals been 5.59pm and 7.30pm researching what was being reported."

Christina later told police she had felt "shocked, scared and frightened".

Tom Stern, defending, said McCarthy had been suffering mental health problems after losing his father.

He said the Sidcup-born man had written a letter to the victim expressing his regrets.

Judge Julian Smith jailed him for three years for the attempted robbery, having an imitation firearm and possessing a small amount of cannabis

He told him he accepted this had been out of character but he had subjected his victim to "complete abject terror"

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