Have-a-go gran Kathy Muldoon fought off a knife-wielding robber - by kicking him where it hurts.

Mrs Muldoon, 55, was attacked on her doorstep after collecting her pension and walking to her home in Westfield Road, Harwell.

After holding a knife to the gran's throat, her attacker was forced to flee, when she kicked him between the legs, punched him in the face and shut the door on him.

Mrs Muldoon said: "The young man said something like 'Give me your money or have this'. So I said: 'Take my handbag.' It was on the floor at my side. As he looked down, I kicked him between the legs and I punched him. "He fell through the door which I slammed shut."

Police think Mrs Muldoon's assailant could have followed her as she walked to her home from the village post office where she collected three weeks' pension money.

Mrs Muldoon, a cleaning supervisor at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, near Didcot, said there was about £90 in her handbag after calling at the post office on Friday.

She said: "I opened the door and had just stepped inside and put my shopping down, when I turned round and saw a young man on the doorstep. "I thought he was selling something. I said 'Hello' - and felt a knife at my throat."

She added: "There is a problem with illegal drugs in the area - especially in Westfield Road - and we would all be happier if it was really sorted out by police."

According to Thames Valley press spokesman Guy Bailey, the knifeman ran off along Gaveston Road

He described Mrs Muldoon's action as "very brave" but warned: "If anyone in Mrs Muldoon's situation thought there was a risk of injury or danger, they should not hesitate to call police." Mrs Muldoon who has eight grandchildren, added: "I felt angry - I work hard and the little twerp is not going to have my money."

Police described her attacker as 5ft 5in tall, 16 or 17, skinny, and wearing a balaclava, blue body-warmer with a light blue long-sleeved shirt and light blue jeans.

Story date: Tuesday 08 February

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