ann timson is the name of the lady in the red coat. 70-plus years of petulant pensioner charging intold-be robbers like an avenging angel with a handbag. they never stood a chance. >> it's amazing. it mean, it's very courageous what she's done. but that's six very dangerous men out there with hammers and she's made a beeline for them and put them off what they were doing. >> reporter: she says she first thought it was a gang beating somebody up. when she realized it was a robbery, she really got mad. two sledgehammers versus one grumpy granny's handbag? no contest. two of the robbers fled in such panic they fell off their bike. finally, onlookers who had stood by in shock moved in. four of the six were arrested and the handbag heroine was led away for a cup of tea. >> we were all shaken from head to foot. she was more concerned whether we were okay more than the other way around. >> reporter: ann timson was fine and wants nothing more, she says, than her quiet life back. no interviews, no fame. although she did tell a local paper she'd do the same thing again. mark phillips, cbs news,

her name, ann timson. usive live interview. >> i'm meredith vieira with ann curry in for matt. she's something. that handbag had nothing but a purse in it and a newspaper. >> it wasn't the size of the bag. it was the ferocity. they backed up. they looked like tough guys. >> they had sledgehammers. >> and they go jumping on mopeds to get out of there. we want some of what she's got. >> exactly. >> also ahead we'll be talking about hannah montana turned miley cyrus into a superstar. now in a new interview her father says he wishes the show never happened because he said it destroyed his family. we'll get details coming up. >>> and history was made last night when a scottish deerhound named hickory won best in show. today she's celebrating her big win with us. we'll meet her in a moment. then she's going for a steak. >> i heard. >> we start with the grandmother who stopped a jewelry heist with her purse. first, peter alexander has her story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. here in england ann t

she's ann timson. she's in her 70s. and now, she's super gran. a reluctant super hero. very uncomfortable with all the press, she told her local paper. let's watch it again, maybe with some effects and music and stuff. ♪ i just kept hitting, she told the paper, and shouting and shouting for others to help. why did she wade in, swinging her handbag in the air like she just don't care? she's an unlikely hero. >> heroes are more likely to be men and more likely to be blue collar men who work in hard, physical jobs. >> reporter: so, not an old lady in a red coat. or this virginia woman, getting nasty. but there's a lot of this stuff on youtube that doesn't make much sense, like, this grandma whacking a robber with a price scanner. why do people take a stand? >> it goes against all of, you know, human and evolutionary history to put yourself in that kind of risk. >> a bank robbery attempt in wisconsin and then -- >> reporter: this hero was 54 years old, the anchor explains his reason. >> the customer thought his wife was in danger so he went after the robber. >> i think it's

she is ann timson. she's in her 70s. and now, she's supergran. superhero.uncomfortable with all the press, she told her local paper. let's watch it again, maybe with some effects and music this time. ♪ i just kept hitting, she told the paper. and shouting and shouting for others to help. why did she wade in, swinging her handbag in the air like she just don't care? she's an unlikely hero. >> far and away heroes are more likely to be men, first of all. and more likely to be blue-collar men, who work in hard, physical jobs. >> reporter: so, not a an old lady in a red coat. or this virginia wham getting nasty. but there's a lot of this stuff on youtube that doesn't make much sense. like this grandma, whacking a robber with a price scanner. why do people take a stand? my mother's instinct kicked in, supergran told police. she thought a kid was getting beat up. it was a robbery, but she kept on swinging. in the cold light of day, said supergran, i know i put myself in danger. we salute you, supergran. four of those knuckle heads are now behind bars. i'm nick wat

she is ann timson, she's in her 70s and now she's hailed as "supergran."ke any good superhero, she's shunning the limelight. "i just want to be left in peace," she told her local newspaper. let's see it again. here she comes. "i don't know what happened next," she told the paper. "i just kept swinging." she's got groceries in the handbag, she's like a boxer with a horse shoe in his glove. not one of them hit her back. why? their mothers taught them to respect their elders? truth is, in britain, we revere old ladies, particularly those with handbags. another just joined that pantheon. "good on ya, supergran," reads one web post. "if i knew who you were i'd buy you a drink." supergran, i'd buy you dinner. nick watt, abc news, london. >> amazing. but we understand that afterwards, miss timson said the only thing she wanted was a soothing cup of tea. so, they took her to a nearby cafe for that. thanks so much for joining us tonight. we hope we see you here again tomorrow night. good night. >>> tonight a scathing review of a court house computer upgrade. it's o

she saw this crime in progress, and 71-year-old ann timson decided to take matters into her own handswell, just beating down these four perps. >> and one of the guys fell down, actually, and then was corralled by people on the street. >> look at her. >> she said she was even more upset, she sees the robbery and then she said they thought they could get away and no one stepped in to help her. this is a granny who means business. she sits on her local residence board to tackle crime. but more importantly she's a bingo caller. don't mess with the bingo caller. >> you bring up a very good point there. if you're calling bingo, you can swing a purse. >> exactly. >> i do love some of these quotes, by the way. i landed several blows against one lad. she says i was amazed, they all seemed mesmerized. >> i think they're so stunned. >> sure. >> these big, bad, burglars as we talked about and they were defenseless against her. >> it's one thing if you're standing there. let's say she's just standing on the corner waiting to cross the street. there happens to be this robbery taking place. she, i t

she's ann timson, in her 70s and now super gran, reluctant superhero.comfortable with all the press," she told her local paper. let's watch it again. maybe with some effects and music and stuff. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: "i just kept hitting," she told the paper, "and shouting and shouting for others to help." why did she weigh in, swinging her handbag in the air like she just doesn't care? she's an unlikely hero. >> far and away heroes are more likely to be men, first of all, and more likely to be blue collar men who work in hard, physical jobs. >> reporter: not an old lady in a red coat or this virginia woman getting nasty. but there's a lot of this stuff on youtube that doesn't make much sense, like this grandma whacking a robber with a price scanner. why do people take a stand? >> it goes against all of, you know, human and evolutionary history to put yourself in that kind of risk. >> a bank robbery attempt in wisconsin -- >> reporter: this time the hero was 54 years old. the koco anchor explains his reasons. >> the customer thought his wife, who was also a