Wha's like us... Margaret Sommerville

IT WAS a beautiful evening for a stroll when 81-year-old Margaret Sommerville set out from her home in Paisley. But as she reached the railway station, mugger Patrick Wallace – a man with 33 previous convictions – thought he had spotted an easy target and struck.

What followed resulted in a violent struggle, an arrest and a five-year jail sentence for Wallace.

Mrs Sommerville stood her ground and fought off the thug, and this week her courage was recognised with a police bravery award.

Collecting her citation Mrs Sommerville, although not exactly promising she'd do it all again, insisted the experience had left her none the worse.

"Nothing stops me doing anything. You give in to these people if you do that. Public transport is perfectly safe."

Well, thanks to Mrs Sommerville's example, Paisley is possibly a safer place to be.