Judge praises woman who scratched brutal burglar’s face to get his DNA before he battered her to the floor with a bottle
Annie-Laure Promonet, 42, was terrified when she came home and disturbed burglar Marvyn Mulvey who was raiding her home
A WOMAN who scratched a burglar to get a DNA under nail before being battered with a bottle has been praised for "enormous bravery".
Annie-Laure Promonet, 42, yanked down off Marvyn Mulvey's hood and dug four fingernails into his neck after she founded he'd broken into her home.
And thanks to her quick-thinking Mulvey, 40, who had beaten her to the floor with an empty bottle, was quickly arrested.
Deputy Circuit Judge Graham Arran jailed Mulvey for seven-and-a-half years.
As the thug was being led away, Judge Arran praised courageous Annie-Laure.
He said: "The victim in this burglary showed a very cool head.
"She did what was was necessary to bring this defendant to justice and showed enormous bravery in preventing him escaping from her flat."
Because of the bravery the judge awarded her £350 out of "public funds".
She will be presented with her award at a ceremony at the crown court in the next few months.
A court earlier heard how burglar Marvyn Mulvey, 40, beat her to the floor with an empty bottle causing painful bruising to her body and head injuries.
French born Annie-Laure, 42, who has lived in this country for 15 years succeeded in holding onto her laptop, but as he left Mulvey took with him a key to her flat in Watford, Herts.
His cruel smile to her as he made off was a warning that he could return whenever he wanted.
But a court heard on Friday how it was brave Annie-Laure who was to have the last laugh.
Police were able to take scrapings from under the fingernails of her right hand and found minute traces of tissue from her attacker which contained Mulvey's DNA.
Mulvey, a serial burglar with a long police record was quickly traced and arrested.
After the case Annie-Laure who works as an internal sales co-ordinator said: "I didn't have time to think that it was a dangerous thing to do. Maybe if I'd had just a few more seconds to think about it I wouldn't have done it, but I knew he had my laptop in the bag and I wanted to get it back.”
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