text: The axe wielding thug who attempted to rob a shop but was restrained by a husband and wife duo has been unmasked as a prolific offender, who has committed more than 1,000 offences since his began his crime spree at the age of 11. Shaun Andrew McKerry, 31, was arrested after he burst into Shildon Post Office and Stores in County Durham wielding an axe and demanding cash, as an accomplice stood at the door. But he was foiled after shopkeeper Sab Dhillon heard McKarry's demands and ran from the back of the shop and rugby tackled him to the floor. Mr Dhillon's wife then appeared clutching her son's baseball bat and managed to subdue him further. Scroll down for video . Prolific thief Shaun Andrew McKerry was once dubbed 'Boomerang Boy' because he always returned home after his many crimes, and he has been unmasked as the axe wielding thief in an attempted post office robbery - where he was subdued by the owner who rugby tackled him and his wife with a baseball bat (left) McKerry was dubbed 'Boomerang Boy' in the 1990s after he was arrested 80 times in 1995 and 45 times during the 36 weeks he managed to stay out of prison in 1998. He got his nickname because he always returned home after his crimes. He committed his first offence at the age of 11 and in the next five years went on to commit 1,000 crimes. His own mother even previously pleaded for her teenage son, known as a one man crime wave, to be locked up. McKerry pleaded guilty at Durham Crown Court, via videolink from prison, to attempted robbery from the post office on March 15. CCTV footage of the incident shows the 31-year-old burst into the store and demand terrified assistant Andrea Brighty fill his bag with money. But Mr Dhillon heard the incident and ran from the back of the store to pounce on McKerry. After a scuffle Mr Dhillon managed to restrain the man in a stranglehold and his wife then appeared, further subduing the man - whose face was covered with a scarf and hood - by hitting him with a baseball bat. McKerry is pictured in handcuffs at the age of 15 when he was committing strings of offences in the area . As Mr Dhillon held him, the shop assistant removed McKerry's scarf so his face could be shown to the cameras. His accomplice, who had been standing guard at the door when they burst in, fled. Mrs Dhillon said: 'It was really scary. We didn't realise who he was at the time and how bad his previous convictions were.' Her husband told the Northern Echo: 'He did not hit me but there was a good chance that he could have as he was waving the axe about blindly while he was on the floor. Mr Dhillon said McKerry was waving the axe around when he jumped on him and wrestled him to the floor . 'I am OK and we're trying to get over it and we just want to put this behind us.' McKerry, who will be sentenced on April 24, is known by the nickname 'Boomerang Boy' or 'Homing Pigeon Boy' because he always returned home after his crimes. He once stole 22 charity boxes while dressed as a woman, and locals dubbed him a one-man crime wave. His catalogue of offending included car chases with police, a string of burglary convictions, aggravated vehicle taking, sending indecent letters, witness intimidation, threatening behaviour, assaulting a police officer, attempted robbery, shoplifting, criminal damage and countless breaches of curfew, community sentences and offending while on bail. CCTV images show Mr Dhillon pouncing on 31-year-old McKerry, armed with an axe, from behind . Mr Dhillon and the terrified shop assistant (right) subdued McKerry and revealed his face for the cameras . Mr Dhillon tackled McKerry and both he and his wife said they did not realise his criminal history at the time . McKerry's case was even brought to the attention of then Prime Minister Tony Blair, who later announced a crackdown on so called 'bail-bandits'. He began offending from the age of 11, and has clocked up dozens of court appearances. On March 11, 1999, McKerry, of County Durham, had already been arrested five times between January 22 and February 10. Shaun Andrew McKerry started offending at the age of 11 when he committed his first theft in 1995. Between 1995 and 2000 he clocked up 1,000 offences. In the 12 months of 1995 he was arrested 80 times. McKerry managed to stay out of prison for 36 weeks in 1998, and was arrested 45 times. He was arrested five times between January 22 and February 10, 1999. McKerry became known as a one man crime wave and was dubbed Boomerang Boy because he always returned home, police knowing where to find him. His mother even called for her teenage son to be arrested. In 1999 she said: 'I love him as a son but I hate the person he has become.' In one of his earlier crimes McKerry  stole 22 charity boxes while dressed as a woman. By the age of 15 McKerry had convictions for aggravated vehicle-taking, sending indecent letters, and burglary. When he was 16 McKerry was sentenced to four years in a young offenders' institution for robbing a village postmaster at knifepoint. At the age of 18 he was out of prison and had offended again, but was given a 'second chance' by magistrates. Just three days later he was back again. From then on he stuck to low level crimes to feed his drug habit. In 2011 he was jailed for four years after he admitted robbery after stealing £90 from a takeaway delivery man in Coundon while armed with a six inch kitchen knife. In March he was rugby tackled and restrained by Sab Dhillon when he went into the store, armed with an axe and demanded cash. He has 55 previous convictions. He boasted after one court appearance he would be back and returned just 48 hours later on suspicion of taking a car. The 15-year-old was then placed on a supervision order despite a report to magistrates that he was a danger to the public. Magistrates tried to provide him with a string of second chances and opportunities to rehabilitate himself - but each time he re-offended. In February 2000 the press won a landmark legal victory to name him when the Lord Chief Justice ruled Bishop Auckland Youth Court had done nothing legally wrong when it agreed to the paper's application to lift the juvenile's automatic right to anonymity. Lord Bingham said he had taken a great interest in the case which centred on the individual youth's right to freedom and anonymity against the public's right to be better protected by knowing his identity. As he continued to offend McKerry developed a drug problem and stole to feed his habit. Six months later McKerry, then 16, was sentenced to four years in a young offenders' institution for robbing a village postmaster at knifepoint. This was later cut on appeal but by March 2002, aged 18, he was back behind bars again after admitting two new offences - three days after being given yet another 'last chance' by magistrates. McKerry had been granted bail after admitting theft on a Monday but was picked up 48 hours later after helping raid a Bishop Auckland clothing shop. In 2002 his mother Paula Harp, 32, pleaded for him to be arrested after she said he had ruined her life. She claimed he started to offend because he was a bit of a loner, and began doing minor things like throwing stones before his behaviour escalated. In recent years, much of his offending has been for the theft of low value items, from shops in the south-west Durham area. But in May, 2011 he was jailed for four years at Durham Crown Court which heard he only had 18 months to live if his drug and alcohol abuse continued. McKerry admitted robbery after stealing £90 from a takeaway delivery man in Coundon while armed with a six inch kitchen knife. His lawyer said he had deep vein thrombosis and cirrhosis of the liver, as a result of years of substance abuse. The court heard he had 55 previous convictions for 120 offences.
target: Shaun McKerry started offending when he was 11 and is believed to have committed more than 1,000 crimes including theft and witness intimidation .
  The 31-year-old was dubbed 'Boomerang Boy' because he would always return home after committing crimes and was arrested 80 times in a year .
  McKerry has been unmasked as axe-wielding thief in local post office raid .
  CCTV footage shows him bursting into the store and threatening assistant before shopkeeper rugby tackles him and his wife grabbed a baseball bat .