D-DAY VETERAN ‘LEFT FOR DEAD’
Bogus handyman ‘battered Navy hero with claw hammer after offering to fix broken roof tiles’
A D-DAY veteran was left for dead by a bogus handyman who barged into his home and battered him with a hammer, a court heard yesterday.
Jim Booth, 96, had opened the door to Joseph Isaacs, 40, who offered to repair his roof tiles, it was claimed.
When he declined, Isaacs allegedly forced his way into his bungalow in Taunton, Somerset, and attacked him with a claw hammer, shouting ‘money, money, money’.
The great-grandfather suffered numerous injuries including five deep cuts to his skull and a fractured right hand, and his false teeth were knocked out by the force of the blows, Taunton Crown Court was told.
Isaacs stole the Royal Navy veteran’s bank card and used it to buy fast food and cigarettes, jurors heard.
Rachel Drake, prosecuting, said: ‘The defendant told Mr Booth there was a problem with some roof tiles. Mr Booth said he had a friend who had offered to do the work for him.
‘Mr Booth found the defendant was moving closer and he instinctively and naturally moved backwards into his house.’
She added: ‘He was beaten until he was unconscious. [Isaacs] believed he had succeeded in killing him and then searched for his wallet before leaving the property.
‘Mr Booth fell to the floor near a coffee table and he remembers thinking, “Oh God, I am dead.”
‘Once Mr Booth was incapacitated, the defendant took his wallet and left him for dead.’
The jury heard that shortly after the attack on November 22 last year, Isaacs used Mr Booth’s NatWest card for purchases including food at Burger King and McDonald’s and cigarettes. He later tried to use the card to buy a pint in a pub in Burnhamon-Sea, Somerset, but it was declined.
Police linked the transactions to a vehicle registered in the name of Isaacs’s father.
Isaacs was arrested on November 24 after police stopped his car on the A370 at Congresbury, North Somerset. Forensic officers later found a spot of Mr Booth’s blood on his trousers.
After regaining consciousness, Mr Booth stumbled into the street bloodied and dazed. Neighbours raised the alarm and he was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, where doctors declared his injuries as life-threatening.
Mr Booth is the last surviving member of a team that spent five days in a submarine guiding Allied craft to Sword Beach before the D-Day invasion.
The war hero, whose family said he was known as ‘The Legend’, has been honoured for his bravery and once danced with the Duchess of Cornwall at a Royal Navy veteran’s event.
In an interview two days after he was attacked, Mr Booth told police he was ‘surprised’ that Isaacs’s hammer was shiny and new, rather than worn as he would expect from a workman.
Mrs Drake said Mr Booth initially did not believe he had lost consciousness during the attack, but later realised he had no recollection of Isaacs rifling through his possessions. She added injuries to his arms were consistent with him having used them to try to protect his face.
Earlier that day, Mr Booth had enjoyed a day out with his daughter visiting a National Trust property. He returned home and finished some chores before Isaacs arrived at 4pm.
Isaacs denies the attempted murder of Mr Booth, whose evidence will be given from a video recording made in hospital.
Isaacs is appearing via video link from Long Lartin Prison in Worcestershire. He has admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent, aggravated burglary and trespassing.
He has also admitted seven fraud charges relating to stolen bank cards. The trial continues.
‘He thought, “Oh God, I am dead”’