WHAT a terrifically spirited woman 91-year-old Mary Dootson is.

Mrs Dootson, from Westhoughton, was watching television when two intruders walked into her living room.

While most of us would have curled up in fright, Mrs Dootson was determined not to be intimidated in her own home. She rang 999 and then proceeded to lash out with her walking stick.

The pair beat a hasty retreat.

The diminutive great-grandmother, who stands at 5ft 2in, afterwards neatly summed up the situation, saying: "They should be ashamed of themselves for preying on old ladies."

Mrs Dootson is spot on. Thieves and conmen who prey on society's most vulnerable have to be among the lowest, most cowardly people in our community.

And while I am not advocating that people unnecessarily place themselves in danger by confronting intruders, it is rather gratifying to hear that this frail old lady was able to give as good as she got.

Why should our pensioners have to live with the constant fear of someone breaking into their own homes?

All too often the justice system shrugs a shoulder, hands out a lenient sentence and apologetically explains, well it's only burglary, no one was hurt.

What a load of rubbish. The pain and distress of a burglary whether the occupants are in or out of the property at the time, can scar for life. And we have seen on rare occasion, the anger and frustration can even lead to homeowners without previous record, lash out to such a degree that they can kill.

The moment you step illegally into someone else's property, you have only yourself to blame for whatever the consequences.