Brave pensioner's bid to foil burglary

From the Echo, first published Saturday 18th Oct 2003.

A ROBBER forced a door and broke into the Poole home of an elderly man in the early hours of the morning.

The terrified 76-year-old was in bed in his bed-sit in a terraced house in Northmere Drive, off Herbert Avenue, at 1am on Wednesday when his home was broken-into.

The robber scuffled with the pensioner who bravely tried to fight him off, sustaining minor bruising as he did so.

But the intruder was able to rifle through a jacket and steal a wallet, containing a quantity of cash, before making off.

"This was a despicable act against a vulnerable man and I am appealing to anyone with information to look to their conscience and call the police or Crimestoppers in confidence," said DC Scott Johnson of Poole CID.

"This robbery was carried out by someone who was very brazen or very desperate. For someone to force a front door to steal someone's wallet in the early hours of the morning is unusual for Poole," he said.

The man police are looking for is described as white, of slim build, 5ft 10ins tall, in his late teens to early 20s and of southern European or Mediterranean appearance with swarthy skin.

He was wearing a black heavy jumper with its hood up.

Detectives are keen to hear from anyone who saw the robbery or any suspicious activity on the area of Northmere Drive in the early hours of Wednesday.

The incident was not reported until almost seven hours later and house to house enquiries by police have so far drawn a blank.

"It may be that there were people returning home from a night out who may have seen something suspicious - or who may have seen something that at the time they thought nothing of but now realise could be important," said DC Johnson.

Witnesses and anyone with information should contact Dorset Police on 01202 222500 or free and anonymous Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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