Like many people, I’ve always had a special bond with my grandparents. While parents are busy trying to guide us down the right path, grandparents often take a softer approach—spoiling us whenever they can. There’s a saying that a grandparent’s love is stronger than a parent’s. As a new parent myself, I’m not so sure about that… but maybe I’ll understand in thirty years!

One grandmother in the UK recently showed the world just how tough and loving grandparents can be. Winifred Peel, a 77-year-old from Wirral, England, was targeted by three young men while withdrawing money from an ATM. She had likely planned to spend it on her grandchildren—but the robbers had other plans.

As she entered her PIN, she noticed someone approaching from behind. Before she could react, two men pinned her, and a third began withdrawing cash from her account. They managed to steal £200 (about $250), but brave Grandma Winifred wasn’t about to let them get away so easily.

Thinking quickly, she grabbed one of the attackers by the collar and slammed his head into the ATM machine—three times. Later that day, when police arrested a suspect with visible head injuries, it was clear they had found one of the attackers.

Thanks to her courage, the three robbers—Felix Stoica, Florin Geblescu, and Piper Dumitru, all 18 or 19 years old—were caught and sentenced to prison. Prosecutor William Beardmore said the group had been driving around town looking for an easy target.

Winifred later told Britain’s Metro newspaper, “They didn’t care what they were doing to me. I’ll never have the same confidence again. This experience changed my life.”

Her bravery, she says, comes from growing up with three brothers and staying active in sports throughout her life. While the experience left emotional scars, her quick thinking may have prevented future attacks—and hopefully taught those young criminals a lasting lesson.