Burly councillor catches thief

 A BURGLAR got more than he bargained for when he stole into a city councillor’s home.

Burly politician Fernando Molina, a martial arts expert, captured the would-be thief and held him for nearly an hour until police arrived.

The PP (conservative) councillor in Merida, Extremadura, was woken at 4am by noises as the burglar entered his house. He went downstairs and suddenly found himself confronting a stranger.

In the darkness Molina at first thought it was a joke and that the thief would turn out to be a friend. However, an ensuing scuffle quickly got rid of that idea.

The councillor, described as a large and strong man, dragged the thief to the porch in order to take him as far away as possible from his family.

His wife, alerted by the noise, followed the instructions of Molina to take their 17-year-old daughter, hide in the car and call the Guardia Civil.

Molina held the thief prisoner for 51 minutes before Local Police arrived after a second phone call.

“I’m not a hero, nor a brave man. I think anyone would have reacted in the same way if the life of those they most love is in danger,” said the councillor.