Three pensioners take down serial burglar in remarkable video

The trio have been called ‘the three musketeers’

Three pensioners have received an award for their bravery after they tackled a burglar to the ground and held him until police could arrive.

They were visiting the house of a recently deceased family member’s home in Heanor, Derbyshire, when they found burglar Stephen Ward standing in the corrider with a bag of jewellery.

Peter Mueller, 70, along with Adly Gorrafa, 81, and Sheila Gorrafa, 78, set upon Ward and pinned him to the ground until police arrived to arrest him.

Police Chief Constable Mick Creedon gave the trio Derbyshire Constabulary Awards on Friday.

Mr Meuller said his friend now refers to them as “the three musketeers”.

The retired German bank director told the Derby Telegraph: "When I opened the door in the middle of the house, there was a burglar with a bag in his hand. He was astonished as the door opened.

"He starts to spring out with the bag and, when he went to run past, we stopped him... When I saw this person, I was full of adrenaline and so we took him down on the ground. I'm 70 years old and the other two people were 78 and 81. With our weight, he had no chance to escape.”

Ward, who police have been chasing for 18 months, was sent to jail for 27 months.