/ 15 April 2005

British gran fells burglar with garden gnome

A British grandmother scared a burglar away by hurling a garden gnome at the intruder who was consequently arrested by police, reports said on Friday.

Sixty-nine-year-old Jean Collop was woken early on Tuesday morning by the sound of an intruder on the roof of her home in Wadebridge, Cornwall.

”I grabbed the first thing that came to hand — one of my garden gnomes — and hurled it at him, and hit him,” she told British tabloids.

”He lay there and I began to scream. I went back into the kitchen and found a rolling pin in case he came down. I didn’t want to break another gnome,” she said.

Police arrived shortly afterwards and arrested the 20-year-old intruder.

A police spokesperson said it was normally citizens should not get involved with intruders or attackers.

”We do appreciate that in the heat of the moment people react to that situation, and if it results in a happy outcome, that’s great.” – Sapa-DPA