90-year-old Fife woman tries to catch fleeing robber

Micheline Stephen, known in the community as Michelle, was coming out her bathroom on Friday morning when she noticed someone wandering around her kitchen.

Initially, she believed it was her young grandson, and only realised that was not the case when the robber attempted to escape through the window.

“I noticed it was not my grandson but a young man,” she said. “He had a rusksack on his back.

“I tried to pull him in but I couldn’t bring him back in and had to let him go. I just wanted to see his face and stop him.”

Understandably angry, Micheline hurled abuse at the robber as he fled: “I told him that he was a wee sh*te.”

Thankfully, the burglar was not able to escape with any valuables. However, when Micheline tried to relax with a cigarette following the incident, she discovered that he had managed to escape with her cigarettes and lighter.

“How dare he come to an old person’s home to do that,” Micheline added. “I’m old but some people are much worse than I am and would not have put up a fight.

“I want other people to stay vigilant.”

Her daughter, Earenne, added: “We are having a laugh but we realise that it could have been nasty. But she was protecting her home.”

The incident happened on Friday morning at 8.20am.

Just two days later, Micheline, who is originally from France, and enjoys a Martini every day, celebrated her 90th birthday.

She even received a card from the police officers who visited her after the incident.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We received a report around 9.35am on Friday, 20 November, of a housebreaking at a property on Hill Street in Cupar.

“Officers attended and enquiries remain ongoing.”

Anyone who may have been in the area and saw anything suspicious is asked to contact police as soon as possible on 101, quoting reference number 0796 of 20 November.