The power of Muay Thai was in full force recently, when a couple of burglars got more than they bargained for when they broke into the home of Victorian mother Marianne Valitutti. Little did they know that she was a Muay Thai enthusiast who had been training in the martial art for five years and was ready to defend her home.
“They were looking for cash,” she told the media. “They got away with nothing.”
“I just put my guard up and they knew not to mess with me – they knew this woman meant business. Girl power!”
Sick and resting in bed after her partner, hotelier George Ramia, had left for work, Valitutti said that she heard shuffling in the wardrobe and the adrenaline just kicked in. She confronted the youths, and was ready to kick arse.
“I was under the blankets,” she said. “I’ve come forward with my hand up. What am I supposed to do, just stand there?”
Marianne got straight into a Muay Thai fighting stance as she approached the youth.
“It all came natural to me. I knew how to defend myself. If he had at come at me I would have known what to do.
“At first he didn’t turn around. I’m like ‘who the hell are you and what are you doing here?’ This kid – he was 16 or 17 year old – he went as white as a sheet.”
The teen tried to conceal his face and fled.
“He seemed to know exactly where to go,” Marianne said. “I never thought I would have that in me.”
She chased the young man down the corridor towards the back door, but then she spotted a second teen who she claimed looked even younger than the first youth.
“He looked like he didn’t want to be there, he was so frightened. He’s just s**t himself,” she said.
“The other one that’s in the lounge room has heard what’s happening and ran off.”
Security camera footage recorded the three burglars fleeing through the back door. The footage showed Marianne angrily pointing her finger, ensuring that they kept running.
“I’m yelling ‘I know who you are. I’ve seen your faces. You’re not getting away with this’,” she said.
“I’m not going to say exactly what I said but there was a bit of colourful language.
“When we went to have a look at the footage I was thinking ‘oh my god this looks more comical than anything else’. I looked like an Italian nonna.”
Marianne credited her strong and swift actions to her five years training in Muay Thai.
“Other people might have just stood there in shock and not done a thing,” she said.
“The first thing in my mind was ‘protect yourself’. It was only after they fled that I was bit shaken.”
Call Hammer’s Gym today on(03) 9878 9266 and get the Muay Thai power, with one of our classes. Everyone is welcome!
Photo: Phil Nitchie http://www.nitch.com.au/
