A FEISTY 73-year-old grandmother has spoken of how she used her walking stick to fend off a thief. Daphne Chandler reacted quickly when a man snatched her purse in Canterbury.

"I just grabbed hold of him, I did not even think about it," she said. "I didn't think I had hold of anything but I ended up with his scarf. I just shouted 'he has got my purse' and hit him with the stick.

"I was shaking like a leaf. Someone took me into a pub for an orange juice but I was still shaking. It was just a reaction to be honest."

Now Mrs Chandler, who lives in the Canterbury area and has three great-grandchildren and 10 grandchildren, has been praised for her actions and has received a police area commander's certificate of merit.

The incident happened when she and a friend, Cyril Hoser, were approached by a man in St Peter's Street, who offered them some jewellery and a camera for sale. They declined and walked towards The Friars.

When they reached the Marlowe Theatre the man moved in front of them and grabbed Mrs Chandler's purse. He pushed her to the floor and she tried to fight him off with her walking stick, but he made off.

Witness John Jones gave chase and managed to hold onto the man until the police arrived.

Mrs Chandler suffered shock and minor injuries, including a sore wrist and a grazed foot, but thanks to her quick reaction and the help of the two men heroin addict Edward Delaney, 30, of Edgar Road, Canterbury, was jailed for six years after admitting robbery.