Home intruder scared off by 91-year-old in Brisbane

A 91-year-old great-grandmother has fought off a home invader on Brisbane's Southside.

Joanna "Jopie" De Loryn was taking the rubbish out at her Brisbane home yesterday morning when she was confronted by a hooded intruder who was in the middle of robbing her.

The widower told 9News she managed to snatch back her handbag before she followed the man as he ran from her home.

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"I don't know what I was going to do with him because it was a young lad," she said.

"But I thought if I get him, I had my handbag so I thought I'd even hit him over the head with it."

De Loryn and her neighbours attempted to follow the home invader, "but he was too quick for us, you know", she said.

"I'm sure there was a car standing there to pick him up."

Footage captured the moment that Jopie ran out of the house after the intruder and yelled out "you bastard, hey".

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"I was just running after him, and I thought, well, I don't know what to do," she said.

"I had nothing with me I could hit him with or anything, so I just, I just ran after him and I thought I'd see where he is going." 

Jopie said the thief stole several priceless items, including her late husband's watch.

"There's my engagement ring. My anniversary ring, a beautiful watch my husband bought me and all the little bits and pieces." 

"So it's all gone. It's all gone. I took it out of the box and took everything out."

The thief also took a silver plate from her son in memory of her late husband.

"They probably toss it in the creek," De Loryn said.

Police are investigating.

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