Have-a-go gran tackles burglar

Published on Wednesday 29 July 2009 10:00

A GREAT-grandmother who was punched in the face as she struggled with a thief has pledged she would do the same again – though won't "be so polite" next time.

Maud Hayward challenged the suspect after finding him in the hallway of her home in Carrick Knowe Loan with her husband's laptop in his arms.

The 69-year-old asked the man to put down the computer, which he laid on the floor, before grabbing his arm to stop his escape.

After being struck in the face, the retired home help fell through her doorway and down a set of steps while the attacker fled.

It has emerged police are also investigating a number of similar slip-in thefts in the Carricknowe area on Monday morning which may involve the same suspect.

Mrs Hayward, who has been married for eight years to her husband, Brian, 73, had taken her Yorkshire terriers, Bobby and Zak, out for a walk shortly before the assault.

She said: "I'd gone out with the dogs at 4:45am, which I do at around the same time every day. I went to the shop for a paper, took them to the park to run about, then went home.

"When I came back, I noticed that the door was a bit open and thought that was strange because I was sure I'd closed it.

"I pushed it open and saw a young man standing in the hall holding my husband's laptop. I was quite taken aback, and I don't know why I said it, but I said, 'Would you put that down please?'. He seemed quite surprised to see me and bent down to lay the laptop on the ground.

"Then I said, 'Who are you?', and he just mumbled something I couldn't make out.

"My husband was in bed so I started shouting for him and grabbed the man by the arm. I was trying to hold on to him until Brian could get there.

"At that point, he punched me in the face. He hit me so hard I fell back out the door and down three steps on to the ground."

The thief made his escape across her back garden as Mrs Hayward lay sprawled on the driveway. She did not require hospital treatment, but said her jaw and cheek were still sore.

Mrs Hayward added: "I just wanted to keep hold of him. It was my husband's laptop and I thought to myself, why should this man get it? I'd probably do the same thing again tomorrow, although I'm not sure I'd be so polite next time."

Mrs Hayward has two daughters and a son, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, while Mr Hayward has three daughters, and eight grandchildren.

Mr Hayward said: "When Maud shouted I thought she had found something or other. I didn't realise that anyone was in the house.

"It was a bad fall so I was glad she wasn't hurt.

"The police tried to take fingerprints off the laptop, because the thief wasn't wearing gloves, but the officers said the new material they're made from nowadays doesn't keep prints."

The suspect is described as 5ft 8in to 5ft 10in tall, with short black hair, a pale complexion, and wearing black clothes.

Chief Inspector Alison Strachan, of Lothian and Borders Police, said: "This was a terrible attack on a vulnerable lady in her own home.

"Although nothing was stolen that was because to the bravery of the lady, but we would not recommend members of the public challenge any intruder.

"We are currently following a few positive lines of inquiry and would stress to people to lock their doors and windows when leaving their home, or going to bed."