Courageous 12-year-old schoolgirl who had machete held to her throat foils armed robbery

dante-healy-12-year-old-girl-machete-foils-armed-robbery-home-manchester

by Emma Dodds |
Published on

Dante Healy called the police before one of the robbers held a machete knife to her throat

A brave 12-year-old has helped put three armed robbers in jail after calling 999 when they broke into her house.

Dante Healy, from Harpurhey, Manchester, managed to call the emergency services when she heard three men kick in the front door of her family's home above their pub, The Valley.

She was on her phone at around 1am on January 2 when her mother started screaming - and Dante's quick-thinking could have saved her life.

dante-healy-12-year-old-girl-machete-foils-armed-robbery-home-manchester
Dante and her mum Lisa in 2011 (Credit: Facebook/ Lisa Booth) ©Facebook/ Lisa Booth

Dante's mum, Lisa Booth, and her partner, Carl Malone, were sleeping in their room when Michael Cannan, 32, burst into their room wielding a blade.

He forced both of them to lie face down on their bed as his two accomplises, Patrick Caffrey, 40, and Dean Richardson, 30, searched for takings from the pub.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Lisa said: "I didn't lie on the bed, because I didn't know if they'd come to rape me."

Dante called 999 after hearing her mother scream and one of the men tell a family friend who was staying over, Robert Ashton, that they would "kill, cut and slice" him.

Dante said: "To begin with I just froze. I thought: 'There's someone in the house'."

dante-healy-12-year-old-girl-machete-foils-armed-robbery-home-mancheste
Richardson (left), Cannan (centre) and Caffrey (right) were jailed yesterday (Credit: Greater Manchester Police) ©Greater Manchester Police

She tried to run out of her house, but was cornered by ringleader Cannan, who was wearing a Halloween skull mask, who grabbed her and held a machete blade up to her throat.

Dante put a hand up to protect herself, which was slashed by the blade. She said: "There was blood all over my hand and arm. He told me to get back in my room."

Lisa added: "It was sheer hell to see that happen to your daughter, who is innocent, it's something that will live with me forever."

The schoolgirl then miraculously managed to escape, opening the front door for police who had just arrived outside.

Dante said: "I didn't look. I didn't think. It was instinct. I just ran downstairs unlocked the door and there were police everywhere."

dante-healy-12-year-old-girl-machete-foils-armed-robbery-home-mancheste
The Valley pub in Harpurhey, Manchester (Credit: Google Street View) ©Google Street View

Pub landlady Lisa said that she "couldn't be prouder" of her daughter, adding: "There were three adults in the house at the time of the burglary and she saved us all from getting hurt."

Cannan was yesterday jailed for 15 years by Judge Richard Mansell QC, who said he was "dangerously out of control". He then gave Caffrey and Richardson 14 years and 13 years respectively.

Judge Mansell added: "I commend the family, and particularly Dante, whose bravery and maturity ensured that these three men were brought to justice, and that the ordeal was not prolonged."

Have you ever been the victim of a robbery? Let us know over on Facebook and Twitter.

Read more like this:

Four-year-old girl saves her mum's life after 999 call

2-year-old boy saves his twin brother's life after chest of drawers falls on him

Daughter gives mum a stunning makeover following her chemotherapy

Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website, we never allow this to influence product selections - read why you should trust us