A FATHER raced across an arena to save his 12-year-old son's life after hearing gunshots ring out during a kickboxing tournament.

Kevin Pearce, of Wiselack Place, Worcester, said he was scared for his boy, Charlie, who was competing in the Unified World Championships.

Hundreds of people fled the Carrara Fiere Sport Hall, in Tuscany, Italy, when the gunfire erupted at around 11am on Sunday, October 29.

Mr Pearce, aged 57, said armed police swooped into the arena within seconds and tackled the gunman, who had been firing blank rounds.

Mr Pearce said: "I was scared for his [Charlie's] safety and my safety.

"It was the scariest thing I've experienced in my life. I thought I was going to die.

"There were three shots initially 'bang, bang, bang'. At first no one moved, I don't know why.

"Everyone looked towards the source of the noise. The gunman was down the bottom end, we were at the top end. He was around 200 yards away.

"Then five seconds later there was another burst of shots and the whole crowd ran for the exits.

"I used to be in the army and you can't tell the difference between blanks and the real thing."

Mr Pearce, who served as a private in the Royal Ordnance Corps, said his first reaction was to flee the arena.

He said: "I took three steps and then thought I forgot my son. I was screaming at everyone 'where's Charlie?'.

"I found him and said 'Charlie, just effing run'. There were hundreds if not thousands of people in there. Everyone was frantic to get out, it was mad."

His son, Charlie, a pupil at Nunnery Wood High School, in Worcester, said: "I was really scared. I thought I was going to die.

"I was warming up for my fight at the time. I heard three bangs, I didn't know what it was so we carried on.

"Then a couple of seconds later I saw people running and thought it was fake. Then I saw more people running and thought it was real.

"Dad came over and said run and swore a bit. I didn't know what to do but run."

Despite the shocking experience, Charlie returned to the arena later that day and competed in another fight.

In a strange turn of events, after the tournament had finished Charlie and his training buddies bumped into pop star Ed Sheeran while waiting in departures at Pisa International Airport.

Mr Pearce said: "Ed Sheeran was travelling with Ryanair.

"[He] was sat next to one of our fighters on the flight, it was surreal.

"He's happy to rough it with the rest of us. It took the edge off the terror thing."

Charlie won three medals in the tournament - a silver in the under 12s minus 45kg mat event, a silver in the full contact minus 49kg contest and a bronze in another fight.

He hopes to become a better fighter in the future and eventually bring home a gold medal.