A 94-year-old retired professor has fought off a mugger by using judo in West London.

David Douglas, whose great-grandfather codified the rules for boxing, saw off his 6ft tall attacker.

The assailant was seemingly unaware that the 94-year-old, who styles himself as David Queensberry, served in the Royal Horse Guards and is a trained practitioner of judo.

Queensberry previously received judo tuition from Percy Sekine, manager of the British judo team, who also taught the artist Eduardo Paolozzi and the racing driver Stirling Moss.

He told The Times: “I did manage to throw him — a type of judo throw — which sent him backwards.”

Queensberry, who said he used a Osoto-gari-style leg sweep, added: “He stumbled backwards — it was pretty minor.”

He was convinced the assailant was attempting to mug him.

Queensberry claimed: “[He was] definitely [after my wallet]. He was feeling me.”

The 94-year-old reportedly used his right hand to grab his opponent’s left shoulder and his left hand to grab his opponent’s right forearm.

He then hooked his right foot behind the assailant’s right ankle.

Queensberry, 12th Marquess of Queensberry, trained several days a week at Sekine’s club in Hammersmith while working as a professor of ceramics at the Royal College of Art in Kensington.

Speaking in 1965, he said that it had taken him two years to earn his brown belt, one rank below a black belt.

He said: “I’d like to get my black belt but after four years I’m still no closer to it.”

Queensberry has taken a step back from the public eye following the tragic deaths of two of his children.

He had eight children with four women, with son Milo killing himself in 2009 aged just 34.

Daughter Beth Shan Ling died in 2018 at 18 after taking heroin and cocaine.