Last updated at 13:49 23 November 2007

Teenage brown belt Rebecca Kelly saved the day when her parents were attacked by a Taser-wielding junkie as they picked her up from a karate lesson.

The pretty 13-year-old put her martial arts skills to the test after a drug-crazed yob lunged at her mother, Diane, 53, with the weapon, which temporarily paralyses people with a huge electric shock, as she waited in the car for her daughter.

The karate kid, who was still wearing her white suit, jumped onto James Cordingley, 29, as he was trying to drag her mum from their silver Vauxhall

Astra.

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Prosecuting, Richard Hebbert, told Leeds Crown Court: "Rebecca pulled the suspect away and shouted 'What do you think you are doing?'"

She jumped onto his back, but in the scuffle he turned round and zapped her with the gun.

Speaking after the case, she said: "Not for a moment did I think of what danger I put myself in. I just saw red and just knew I had to save my mum.

"Using the skills I had learnt through my karate lessons I ran and jumped onto the man's back to pull him off my mum.

"I was really scared but in my head I was working out all the moves I could do to protect us."

Violent drug abuser Cordingley, who had been using drugs for 13 years, was jailed last month for seven years after he pleaded guilty to attempted robbery, possession of a prohibited weapon and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

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On Tuesday September 18 this year he was desperate for money after his dealer threatened him over a £60 drug debt.

He had drank eight cans of strong lager and taken drugs, heroin and crack cocaine during the day.

He crossed paths with housewife Diane, who had just arrived at Kirian Karate School, in Horsforth, West Yorks., after picking up her husband, Keith, 54, from a friend's wake in the local pub in Pudsey, Leeds.

Cab driver Keith was asleep in the passenger seat when Cordingley targeted them.

Diane now laughs at how Keith managed to sleep throughout most of the ordeal, although she was terrified at the time.

She said: "Cordingley seemed to come out of nowhere and opened the car door.

"He began hitting me in the arm and chest with something, screaming at me to get out of the car.

"I didn't know what he was hitting me with, but sparks were flying everywhere and he virtually dragged me out of the car."

Luckily Diane was unhurt by the Taser as she was wearing a thick winter coat.

After Rebecca's heroics the teenager ran inside to recruit three black belts.

In the meantime Cordingley had managed to get into the driver's seat and was trying to start the car.

Diane said: "I was shouting and shouting at Keith to wake up. I couldn't believe this was happening, when my husband had been at a wake and had been

drinking.

"I was petrified he was going to drive away with my husband. Keith looked really alarmed when he woke up. I think it took him a while to register what was going on."

Between them the pair were able to drag him out of the car, while Rebecca's instructors managed to hold him down until police arrived.

Praising her daughter's courage, Diane said: "She'll never know how proud we are of her. He's a 29 year-old tall bloke and she's only a 13-year old girl.

"We didn't know it was a Taser gun he had, at the time. It could have been a knife or worse, but she still defended us - she is so brave.

"We bought her some new trainers to show her our gratitude for saving the day.

"She loves her karate and I'm so glad I offered her the chance to take it up all those years ago.

"I only introduced her to the sport to help her get fit and build her confidence - I never realised she'd end up using her skills to save our lives and our car."

Jailing Cordingley, recorder Jonathan Gibson told him: "Possesion of this kind of weapon is in itself a very serious offence, but it was also used in an attempted robbery and to cause someone injury."