TERRIFIED
OAP comes face to face with robbers in balaclavas
A traumatised pensioner is living in fear after four masked men raided her St Leonards home in broad daylight.
The vulnerable 79-year-old woman was targeted by bogus workmen who ransacked her four-bedroom home while she lay asleep in bed.
The gran-of-five was left terrified by the break-in after coming face to face with the balaclava-clad crooks who made off with hundreds of pounds.
With the suspects still believed to be operating in the area, the victim’s daughter told the News this week of the affect the “disgusting” crime has had on her widowed mum.
The daughter of an elderly woman who was preyed upon by a gang of brazen bogus workmen has told how her mother is now living in fear.
Kendra Arnott, 44, spoke out this week in an attempt to warn other East Kilbride pensioners to be extra vigilant after four men robbed the home of her 79-year-old mum.
At around 4pm last Monday, the men, wearing black balaclavas, broke into the property in Cumbrae and stole £340 cash.
Shockingly, when confronted by the terrified lone pensioner, they claimed to be from a water company.
After carrying out local enquiries, police discovered that the same four males had tried to gain access to the home of an 86-year-old woman in nearby Davaar.
They were spotted fleeing in a white transit connect van after being refused entry.
Kendra revealed this week that her brave mum, who did not wish to be named, tried to alert the police when she came face to face with the crooks in her kitchen.
She said: “My mum doesn’t keep well and was asleep in her bed when she heard a noise.
“She then saw someone pop their head round the bedroom door.
“Thinking it was her grandson, she made her way downstairs and got to the landing where she saw a man standing at the bottom of the stairs wearing a balaclava down to his eyes but rolled up over his nose.
“She shouted: ‘How did you get in?’ He said he was from the water board and was there to check the water pressure.
“The tap was running in the kitchen and the sink cupboard was open.
“My mum said: ‘I didn’t call you’ and asked for ID.
“She told him to get out and shouted that she was going to call the police and started to dial 999 on her phone.
“She had only dialled 9 when he grabbed her phone and threw it in the water in the sink.
“At this point three more men wearing balaclavas covering their whole faces appeared from upstairs. They must have been in the other bedrooms.”
The four men reportedly tried to escape out a kitchen window before fleeing out the back door and locked the pensioner inside the house, leaving the house keys in the outside lock.
They were spotted by a neighbour running away from the scene near to the car park at Claremont Church.
Kendra added: “This has left my mum terrified. She doesn’t keep well and is tiny. If they hurt her, that would have been it. The whole family is keeping an eye out for her but she’s had to get pills off her doctor to help her sleep.”
The family are in the process of ramping up security at the home in an effort to make the elderly householder feel safe again, and plan to install alarms and security lights.
“One of them got in by smashing the downstairs toilet window and got the keys to the front door to let the others in”, said Kendra.
“I’m raging and disgusted that this has happened to my mum. She has lived there for 30 years and is now terrified in her own home. This wouldn’t have happened if my dad was alive.
“They’ve already tried another pensioner’s door so I hope they’re caught soon.
“They seem to be quite professional as the police never found any fingerprints despite them going through cupboards and drawers and knocking down pictures.
“I don’t think they will be caught until they make a mistake.”
Police are carrying out enquiries in an attempt to identify the suspects and are appealing for information.
The first male is described as 30 to 35 years of age, white European with sallow skin, 5ft 8in tall, clean shaven and was wearing a navy blue basketball cap and blue denim jacket.
The other three males are described as wearing dark clothing and woolly hats. All of the males are described as having an Irish or eastern European accent.
Anyone with information is being urged to call 101.
I’m raging and disgusted that this has happened to my mum.