(04-15) 14:20 PDT LONDON, United Kingdom (AP)
A grandmother stopped an intruder from entering her home by lobbing a heavy garden gnome at him, police said Friday. Jean Collop was woken early on Tuesday morning by the sound of an intruder on the roof of her home in Wadebridge, southwest England.
"I grabbed the first thing that came to hand — one of my garden gnomes — and hurled it at him, and hit him," she recalled.
She must be great at grenade throwing. Those gnomes are heavy!
"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." Come on down, Sonny, and take your medicine! Come on, big boy, try to get a piece of me! The classic weapon for a Grandma! Bean him with a rolling pin!
A neighbor alerted police who arrived shortly afterward and arrested the intruder. I have visions of Granny from The Beaverly Hillbillies.
He added: "Our usual advice would be not to get involved, but to contact the police straight away," said a spokesman for the Devon and Cornwall Police. That's part of the problem. The criminals know most people will call the police and as good as they are they can't get there fast enough. People are responsible for their own security.
"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."
The happy outcome is the criminal is behind bars.
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