Woman, 78, sweet-talks a burglar

An elderly Palmerston North woman who was confronted by a burglar in the middle of the night "pointed out the error of his ways" and convinced him to leave.

Palmerston North police arrested a 21-year-old man in the early hours of yesterday and charged him with aggravated burglary.

The 78-year-old woman was at home alone when a man broke into the home, using a rock to smash through a glass panel in a door.

The man picked up a walking stick and confronted the woman, who was in bed, but after she spoke to him, he soon left.

Palmerston North detective Marie Lamberth said the woman had "pointed out the error of his ways".

"She was very brave."

The woman had acted on her instincts and acted very rationally, she said.

"She used her wits and spoke with him."

While unhurt, the woman was shaken by the incident.

Police dogs tracked down a man not far from the house.

- NZPA