dianeduane | A pleasant change of pace

(Like those UK commercials that showed things like giant hedgehogs running over tiny little trucks.)

Normally any time we hear the word "samurai" in a TV news story, Peter and I both wince, expecting to hear about somebody who's run amuck somewhere with a cheap katana. But today, for a change, it's something different.

Police are trying to trace a mysterious samurai sword-wielding vigilante who came to the rescue of two officers when they were being attacked by an armed gang.

The officers had been set upon after they tried to disrupt a burglary at a flat in Laygate, South Shields.

...One of [the burglars] lunged at a policeman with his knife - but just as he did so, a mysterious do-gooder appeared from nowhere and attacked [the burglar] with a samurai sword.

One of the burglars ran off, but was stopped by the stranger, who hit him on the arm with the sword.

He was arrested, along with another man from the flat, but in true superhero fashion the samurai man disappeared before police could speak to him.

Going to be interesting to see how this unfolds...