A brave teenager who chased down an opportunist thief at a Fife hospital has been praised for his “selfless action”.
Fourteen-year-old Joe Lafferty was undergoing dental treatment at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy when an elderly lady had her handbag snatched.
Elizabeth Borthwick, an 84-year-old volunteer with the Royal Voluntary Service at the Victoria, had just used the cash machine when her bag was grabbed.
As the thief fled through the hospital corridors, RVS manager Alyson Hutton shouted for him to stop and, without thought for his own safety, Joe chased the man and recovered the bag.
The accused, who was later traced by police through CCTV, was arrested, charged and pleaded guilty to theft.
Joe, who is a third year pupil at Kirkcaldy High School, told The Courier: “It wasn’t really a big deal. You could say it was a courageous thing I did but it could have been my gran who had her bag stolen.
“I would hope someone would have done the same for her.”
Alyson Hutton described Joe as her “wee hero”.
She said: “As soon as this happened I phoned the school.
“Kids get a bum deal these days. Joe is such an inspirational wee kid. An absolute treasure.
“And I know Elizabeth is over the moon that Joe is to be rewarded as well.”
Kirkcaldy High School rector Derek Allan praised Joe for his “selfless action” and commended him “in the highest terms for an act of real bravery”.
Mr Allan said: “He is a credit to the school and to his family.
“I’m immensely proud of Joe. We have decided that Joe’s courage and public spiritedness are worthy of the award of a special Achiever’s Tie. He will receive this at the Oswald Assembly on Thursday March 19.
“I know the victim is very grateful and offered Joe a cash reward, which he refused.
“Also, the police officers who attended the crime scene were very impressed. So here’s to Joe, the hero of Kirkcaldy High School.”
Dougie Milton, Fife Division operations superintendent with Police Scotland, has written to Joe, who has ambitions to become a police officer, to acknowledge his actions and bravery during the February 16 incident.
Superintendent Milton said: “When I read of your reaction to the shouts of the staff and on seeing the male who had grabbed the handbag being chased by a member of staff through the corridors of the hospital, I did not initially realise that you were only 14 years of age.
“You demonstrated a level of maturity not usually found in a young man of 14. Your actions resulted in the recovery of the victim’s property and the early apprehension of the suspect.”
As a token of appreciation, Mr Milton has invited Joe and his family to visit Fife divisional headquarters for a tour of the operations centre.
Joe, who is a keen Celtic fan, has also been praised by the club and has been invited to be their guest of honour in the directors’ box at the League Cup final against Dundee United at Hampden on Sunday.
Celtic FC PR officer Rhona Macdonald told him: “You truly are a hero and you should be very proud of yourself.”
Fife Provost Jim Leishman will present Joe with a Kirkcaldy High School Achiever’s Tie next week.