A St Albans boy aged just nine achieved his black belt in martial arts.

Deacon Osborne was awarded his black belt on September 28 in Colney Heath village hall.

Hatfield-based Senior Master Kim Anderson 8th Dan has been teaching Taekwon-Do for 40 years, and said he has never awarded a black belt to such a young student. One boy of eleven was the previous youngest and that was more than 30 years ago.

Kim said: "I do not normally start students at the age of five but Deacon proved his potential at his first trial lesson and his attitude has not changed since the day he started.

"The highly coveted black belt is not easy to earn and Deacon proved his worth in passing both the written and practical tests.

"His result is a true reflection of the amount of effort and hard work that Deacon applies to his Taekwon-Do and I am extremely proud to award this to Deacon at the age of just nine."