Intruder tried to rip jewellery off pensioner

Frail woman assaulted in her home

AN ELDERLY woman was terrorised and assaulted in her home when a burglar broke in and tried to rip the jewellery she was wearing from her neck and hands.

The woman, in her late 70s, was attacked at 9pm on Monday night when a man broke into her home at Shandon Park, Phibsborough.

Sources said her attacker pushed her to the ground before fleeing empty-handed. He is described as being in his 30s, 6ft tall wearing a grey hoodie and grey gloves.

The shocking incident is understood to have left the elderly woman relatively physically unharmed but ‘understandably traumatised’, said a source.

The Garda Press Office told the Irish Daily Mail yesterday: ‘Gardaí are investigating an aggravated burglary which occurred at Shandon Park, Phibsborough, on November 19. A man allegedly entered the house of a female in her 70s and attempted to steal jewellery from her person. The woman was pushed to the ground but was uninjured.’

Gardaí from Mountjoy are investigating the burglary. No arrests have been made and investigations are ongoing.

The elderly woman was alone in her red-brick terraced home when the burglar struck.

A source said: ‘It was a disgraceful attack. Thankfully, the woman was physically unharmed. But she is elderly and an incident like that can leave deep emotional scars and can leave people afraid to leave their own home, particularly an older person. It can also lead to frail persons becoming more withdrawn and lead to health problems that aren’t always immediately apparent.’

Gardaí were yesterday trying to source CCTV from the locality to try and identify the suspect.

Monday night’s aggravated burglary comes just three days after a similar incident in the capital. On Friday, a wheelchairbound woman was struck on the head with a hammer during a terrifying attack at her Mulhuddart home.

Jenny Powell, 84, was robbed by a group of up to four intruders who attacked her and took her money on November 16.

The elderly woman was left covered in blood after the attack in Mulhuddart, Dublin 15, at around 8.30pm. She was in her home when four men entered and attacked her with a hammer.

After the attack, Ms Powell said she feared more elderly people would be targeted.

‘This was a disgraceful attack’