Hot tea puts intruder to flight

2006-05-16 23:15

Marius Louw

Cape Town - "Maybe the Lord gave me the idea to chase the attacker away with a pot of scalding-hot tea," says 81-year-old Ruth Brown.

She was telling how she drenched an early-morning intruder in tea that had just been freshly brewed for herself and husband James, 87, on Saturday morning.

The Browns said on Tuesday they were still in shock, but could at least smile about the incident.

The couple were in their lounge, having breakfast and a cup of tea before 08:00.

Brown said: "The bell rand at the garden gate on the street. My husband was still in his pyjamas. He recognised a beggar to whom we sometimes gave bread or money.

"James told him that we didn't have anything for him. He kept ringing the bell until James went outside."

Threw pot at him

When her husband, a writer and former senior editor at the Sunday Times, returned, she asked him if he had remembered to bolt the door.

The next moment, there was a man, armed with a large knife from their kitchen, standing in their lounge.

Brown said: "I watched as my hand, of its own accord, picked up the boiling-hot aluminium teapot and threw it in his direction.

"The water had just boiled and the tea was still steeping. It must have been very hot.

"I'm not a very athletic person and have never been good at tossing a ball."

The teapot hit the man against the neck and shoulder. He was clearly shocked and angrily pulled open the drawers of a display cabinet, shouting that he wanted money.

The Browns both shouted to him to leave.

Alarm's noise set man fleeing

There apparently was a couple of hundred rand in the house, but it was in another cabinet.

Neighbours who had heard the shouts suspected something was wrong and pressed a panic button. The noise of the alarm sent the man fleeing in the direction of Kenilworth station.

According to the Browns, members of ADT security and the police arrived within minutes.

The man was arrested and charged with attempted armed robbery. Police confiscated the knife.

- Die Burger