A woman stood up to a gun-wielding teenage robber in a terrifying ordeal as she got off a train at night.

The youth ran in front of her on the dark platform, pointed an air pistol at her chest, and demanded she hand over her handbag, telling her she had 'five minutes'.

But plucky Karen Lowe, 26, decided the gun was a fake and told the gunman "No", grabbed the barrel of the gun, and wrestled with the teenager.

The youth, 16-year-old Roland Mallinson, of Wrose, still managed to grab her bag, and ran off into the night, chased by two other passengers. He was later arrested by police in Manninhgham, who found the air pistol he had used and most of Miss Lowe's property. Yesterday a judge made him the subject of a two-year detention and training order after he admitted offences of robbery and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence

Miss Lowe today welcomed the sentence, saying she was happy he would not be around to commit more offences for a while, but said she was still too scared to make the journey alone again.

Of her ordeal in March on Frizinghall Station, which left her with cuts and bruises to her arm, she said: "I saw the gun end and it had such a small hole there was no way a bullet could come out. I just became angry.

"You don't know how you would react in these circumstances but that was my reaction.

"I thought: No, why should I give it to you? Then I started swearing at him and he wasn't expecting it."

Miss Lowe, an administrator, was on her way home from work in Leeds when the incident happened in darkness at 7pm in March.

Mallinson had got on the train with her in Shipley and followed her off before confronting her at Frizinghall station.

Simon Myers, prosecuting, told Bradford Crown Court: "He pulled in front of her, spun round, and pulled what appeared to be a handgun out of his pocket.

"He pointed it at her chest and said 'Give me the bag'. Remarkably, she describes herself as not feeling scared, but frustrated and irritated."

Mallinson told Miss Lowe that she had 'five minutes' and moved as if to cock the weapon, but she still took the view that it was not real.

"She grabbed hold of it and struggled with him,'' said Mr Myers. "He grabbed her bag and there was a struggle between them and he managed eventually to pull it away from her and ran off down the platform."

The teenager, formerly of Bodmin Avenue, Wrose, escaped from two people who gave chase, but he was arrested by police later in the Woodview area of Manningham.

Miss Lowe, from Frizinghall, who yesterday thanked the two people who came to her help, said: "Police said I had been plucky, but it was instinct. It didn't really sink in for about 24 hours. The adrenalin took over. Afterwards I thought: "That was really dumb" as it was quite quiet.

"But I haven't made the journey alone since it happened."

Mallinson, who had previous convictions but had never been sent to custody before, was made the subject of a two-year detention and training order after he admitted offences of robbery and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

Judge Roger Scott heard that Mallinson was now in settled foster care, but he said the teenager posed a risk of harm to the public and he rejected any idea of another non-custodial penalty.

"I've decided that three years or thereabouts is probably just a little too long for a 16-year-old with your personal problems. I propose to pass the maximum detention and training order," said Judge Scott.

He imposed an 18-month order for the robbery offence and a consecutive six-month order for the imitation firearm matter.

Karen, said: " I am perfectly happy with that, knowing he is not around to do it again."