People being stupid news item of the week

A fence too far for burglar

A burglar in Hungary climbed over a fence to rob a house only to be confronted by a sword-wielding Olympic fencing ace.

Virgine Ujlaky, 23, was practicing her swordplay when she saw Pal Nagy, 43, clambering in through a window of her house in a posh suburb of Budapest.

But within seconds and a few swift slashes of the sword the crook was pinned against the wall, with the blade against his throat as the swordswoman reached for the phone and called police.

They arrested the villan 20 minutes later, who had to be treated by paramedics for shock.

Ujlaky said: "I wasn't scared when I saw him. It was good practice as I have a competition coming up this week."