A TEENAGE shop-worker who stood up to an armed robber in a Southampton convenience store has been commended for her bravery.

Helen Kemble, 17, had been working behind the counter of Alldays in Bassett Green Road when she was confronted by a raider wearing a balaclava mask and brandishing a gun.

The robber, Kevin Hazzard, threatened to shoot the teenager if she did not hand over the money but she refused, saying she wasn't allowed to.

Hazzard, 22, then proceeded to count down from five - but still Helen bravely refused and eventually he fled empty-handed.

Last month Hazzard and his accomplice, Robert McLeish, 39, were convicted of four armed robberies in Southampton and Eastleigh and sentenced to seven and ten years' imprisonment respectively.

Judge Tom MacKean, summing up at Portsmouth Crown Court, singled out Helen and praised her for her bravery, saying: "She should be commended for her courage."

Yesterday Helen received the Chief Constable's Citation for bravery from Southampton Police's Chief Superintendent Graham Wyeth at the city's central police station.

Det Insp Derek Stubbington, who led the police investigation into the raid, which happened in April, said: "I am pleased the judge recognised the bravery of the witnesses. We would not have been able to carry out such a thorough investigation without their help."

The court was told how Helen, of Swaythling, had been so traumatised by the robbery that she had been unable to return to work.