Grand Theft Auto rarely gets much positive play outside the niche gaming press (sure, the graphics and playability are superb but the contents is not to everyone's taste – some people just think computer games should not allow their users to run down pedestrians or murder prostitutes) but here is a GTA story with a happy ending, a man bites dog tale for the digital age.
Sandy Wilson of Santa Fe, Texas, was looking after her grandsons at her home when a group of men broke in intending to burgle it ("burglarize", says the US news report). But the boys were playing Grand Theft Auto and its succession of random police scanner messages – blaring out such calls as "This is the police! You're surrounded!" appeared to convince the aspirant robbers they had no choice but to run.
Ms Wilson certainly thinks so, saying she thinks the burglars thought the police were outside the door waiting for them. Labour and the Tories are falling over themselves at the moment to promise householders greater legal protection to defend themselves against intruders. Maybe they should think about computer games.
