Brave OAP, 95, knocked down as she grapples with gang of teen raiders

A FRAIL 95-year-old woman was shoved to the ground by a gang of teenagers who broke into her house to steal valuables, police said.

The brave homeowner grappled with the five boys, believed to be aged between 15 and 16, and even bit one of them before they fled.

A neighbour said the pensioner had not heard a youth enter through a window as she watched TV, allowing him to unlock the back door and let his accomplices inside in Northenden, Manchester.

The spinster is understood to have locked the door again and refused to hand over the keys. The teenagers had to resort to smashing another window with an old typewriter before fleeing towards a nearby council estate blamed by residents for a spate of burglaries.

Greater Manchester Police detective constable Rachel Wood branded the teenagers ‘animals’, saying: ‘Although this lady is a tough cookie, she has been left distraught and injured.

‘The comfort of a person’s own home is where they should feel safest but these animals smashed their way into the property without a second thought.

‘We cannot allow this kind of thing to happen to those most vulnerable in our society.’ A neighbour who rushed round after hearing the disturbance on Thursday night said: ‘There was blood all over her hands but she’s a tough old bird. She is that tough she never even shed a tear.’

The incident came hours after a 93-year-old woman was attacked at a bus stop ten miles away in Chadderton, Oldham.

The woman was dragged to the floor, banging her head and leaving her with multiple injuries to her head, knees and hands.

A 17-year-old boy handed himself in and was charged with attempted robbery. He will appear before a youth court next month.