Man arrested over attempted murder of Rayleigh have-a-go-hero

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A female security guard remains in a serious condition after undergoing surgery, police said.

Adam Mapleson, 24, of Rayleigh, Essex, had made an heroic effort to stop the robbery at his local rail station, said detectives.

Police said his condition was "serious but stable".

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Scene: Forensic officers probe the scene

The guard and her male colleague were mugged as they loaded cash into a hole-in-the-wall machine at Rayleigh station shortly after 7am yesterday, police said.

The robbers are thought to have escaped with a box containing tens of thousands of pounds.

Security experts said the cash would be rendered useless because notes would be soaked in red indelible dye if the box was forced open.

And detectives said parts of the incident had been caught on closed circuit television and officers were working hard to identify the robbers.

Detective Superintendent Michael Field praised the bravery of Mr Mapleson - who was named by sources close to the investigation.

"He was heroic, there is no doubt about it," said Mr Field.

"He went to the aid of a female guard who was being robbed. He put his life on the line."

Mr Mapleson, who works as an IT support technician at the Higham Group, in Southwark, south London, is believed to have been shot once in the chest shortly after arriving at the station.

The guards, who gave Mr Mapleson first aid, were said to have been unhurt but badly shaken.

Police said the robber who shot Mr Mapleson had worn white or cream trainers. He was thought to have fired two shots.

They said the robbers fled in a white Ford Escort later found abandoned nearby.

Mr Mapleson, a former Southend High School for Boys pupil, studied computer science at the University of Brighton.

According to his entry on the website Friends Reunited, he had worked at the Higham Group since December and enjoys his job.

But on his page on the MySpace website - where he uses the name Choronzon - the metal music fan says the daily commute into London "irritates" him because it is so busy.