HEART ATTACK OAP, 73, TELLS OF HIS TERROR AS MASKED RAIDERS STRIKE
Masked raiders threatened 73-year-old before stealing his pension
HEART attack victim Reg Cox has told how he was attacked and robbed by four masked raiders who burst into his home.
The 73-year-old is now struggling to sleep and cowers in his own home following the 20-minute ordeal at his Fenton property.
The raiders – three men and a woman – escaped with Reg’s £400 pension, his bank card and removed the sim card from his phone so he believed he was unable to call 999.
The attack happened just months after the epileptic suffered a heart attack and had two pacemakers fitted.
Now Reg – who suffered bruising in the incident – has spoken to The Sentinel as Staffordshire Police are yet to make any arrests following the November 15 burglary.
He said: “They waited until it was dark and the carers had left from next door and I think they had been watching me for weeks because they picked the day that I had collected my pension. They broke in through the front door and I was so shocked when they came in that I didn’t know what to do. They asked me for cash and pushed me on to the settee. They took my wallet, my bank card and the sim card out of my phone so I thought I couldn’t call 999.
“It was three lads and one girl wearing masks and hoods, but only one of them spoke. I had some loose change in my pocket and they even went in there to get it. My wallet had my bus pass in, my pension and my disability allowance which was £400.”
The burglary has left Reg – who lives in sheltered housing on Whieldon Road with dog Pepper – anxious and frightened. He said: “The police have installed a camera which has made me feel a bit safer but I’m still nervous that they could come back. I have no chance against four of them.
“They were in my home for about 20 minutes, they shouted at me for money and said if I didn’t give them money they would beat me up. I’ve got to be careful with my heart because I’ve got two pacemakers and if they‘d hit me then they would have killed me. I was shaking like a leaf when the police got here.”
Reg has volunteered at a shop on Longton Exchange shopping centre for four years.
He added: “It’s affected my sleeping, I’m only getting about three hours. I’m always looking out of the window.”
Popular Reg has received great support from friends and neighbours. Neighbour Isobel Smith said: “Reg is so popular in the community - he loves going out doing his shopping and going to the pub.”
The burglary was reported at 11.35pm on November 15.
A police spokesman said: “All four burglars were dressed in black and had scarves on their faces. Detectives are continuing to explore forensic opportunities and make local inquiries.”
Witnesses should call 101, quoting incident number 918 of November 15.