Fresh appeal to find raiders who left 88-year-old terrified after stealing her pension

GARDAÍ renewed appeals for help in their investigation into a “terrifying” burglary at the home of an 88-year-old woman.

The woman was alone in her rural home in a remote area of Co Offaly when two men broke in on Wednesday evening.

One man held the woman by the arm as the other broke a door on her bedroom wardrobe and rifled through envelopes containing a small amount of her pension money.

The victim was left distressed and nursing a bruised wrist as the men fled with the cash.

The attack happened between 6pm and 8.20pm.

Gardaí said last night that they wanted to hear from anyone who saw anything suspicious in the locality.

Anyone with information is asked to call them at Tullamore garda station on 057 9327600.

The woman, who did not want to be identified, lives with her son. “I was very frightened,” said the woman, speaking to the Irish Independent from her home.

“They came out of nowhere. The front door and the back door were both locked. They got in through a window.

“A man in a white cap had a screwdriver in his hand and he caught a hold of my wrist,” she said.

“I was very frightened. They broke the door of my wardrobe.

“I said I wanted to go and get a drink of water but he wouldn’t let me go,” she added.

Distressed

The woman’s son returned home shortly after to find his mother distressed and frightened.

“I could not sleep that well after it happened,” she said.

Her son said that his mother had “worked hard all her life” and he condemned the attackers for their crime.

Others living in the area said the attack has left people very frightened and upset. A 47-year-old local farmer said: “People are very angry.

“There are a lot of elderly people living in this area and they are all terrified by what happened.

“There should be CCTV cameras put on rural roads to help catch whoever does these crimes.”

The man’s wife said that an attack like that left everyone in the community concerned for the vulnerable.

“It’s very unnerving what has happened to that elderly lady,” she said.

“She lives in a place that is so remote, it is like the last place that God made.”

Gardaí made house-to-house inquiries throughout the rural area.

A community alert text was flashed to residents living throughout the area.

Detectives are probing whether a prolific burglary gang based in the area may have been behind the incident.