Old lady punches burglar

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An elderly British woman knocked down a burglar with one punch, then chased him and his accomplice away.

Joan Parmenter, 79, discovered that Luke Clay, 21, and his brother, Lee Clay, 25, had broken into her lounge while she watched TV in another room. Luke Clay struck her on the head - but Parmenter responded with a punch to his jaw.

The stunned burglars ran from her home in Nottingham, central England, and into the path of an oncoming car. Parmenter, still in pursuit, got the driver to call the police as the men fled.

Parmenter said: "They were all in black, with woolly hats and scarves over their faces."

The Clays received eight-month prison sentences after admitting the burglary in court. Parmenter was commended for her bravery by a judge at Nottingham Crown Court this week.