WATCH: Three pensioners detain burglar until police arrive

Pictured - Alison Tyler-Mueller, DC Calla Millwaters, Helen Slater and Peter Mueller.

Peter Mueller, 70, was in Heanor visiting the house of his recently deceased mother-in-law when he saw burglar Stephen Ward standing inside.

Mr Mueller, alongside relatives Adly Gorrafa, 81, and Sheila Gorrafa, 78, tackled Ward to the ground and held him on the floor while neighbours called the police.

Chief Constable Mick Creedon has now given the group a Derbyshire Constabulary Award and praised them for their bravery.

Mr Mueller, who lives in Germany but who returned to England to receive the award, said: “When I saw this person, I was full of adrenaline and so we took him down on the ground.”

The other two Good Samaritans, Mr and Mrs Gorrafa, who live in America, were not able to visit Derbyshire for the ceremony but their niece, Helen Slater, and Mr Mueller’s wife, Alison Tyler-Mueller, accepted the awards on their behalf.

Mr Creedon said: “This award is often given to police officers who have shown great bravery but we do sometime present them to members of the public.

“Peter, Adly and Sheila should be recognised for their courage and quick-thinking. Thanks to their actions, this burglar is now behind bars.”

Ward, 37, of Breach Road, Heanor, was sentenced at Derby Crown Court on July 22 to 27 months in prison after he admitted the burglary, which happened on June 24.