Elderly victim speaks of attack

A brave Townsville grandmother has been left with two black eyes after she stood her ground against three youths who broke into her home and demanded the keys to her car.

The 81-year-old retiree — who asked not to be identified for safety fears — said she had been sitting alone in her living room when three male youths broke into her home on Bayswater Rd, Currajong, just after 11.30am on Friday.

She said the boys began to “frantically” rifle through her bags and told her to hand over her car keys.

“I told them straight — you’re not getting my keys,” she said.

“I yelled: ‘You get out of my house, and you get out now’.

“I got cranky because I couldn’t believe they had the audacity to barge into my house in the middle of the day.

“There were two younger boys who looked a bit more inexperienced. They listened when I told them to get out, and then the older boy followed them.

“I reckon they were in a hell of a hurry because they would have known the police were coming.”

The 81-year-old said she walked to the back door, thinking they had left, when the older boy suddenly returned.

“I was screaming out: ‘Help, help!’ and the older boy came back up the stairs and punched me straight in the face,” she said.

“I just remember the shock and pain.

“I think he was angry because he didn’t get his way.

“I refused to give him my car keys, and there was no money in the purses they went through.

“My face was badly swollen, and now it’s turned into two black eyes I’ve never dreamt that anything like this would happen,” she said.

Police said four juveniles have been taken into custody, and investigations are ongoing.