Man, 81, beaten up for a tenner

ATTACK ON PENSIONER ‘BENEATH CONTEMPT’ - POLICE

AN 81-year-old man was subjected to a vicious attack in his own home by cowardly robbers — who got away with £10.

The Oldham pensioner was repeatedly beaten over the head with a piece of wood before his attackers stopped and took the £10 note.

His ordeal began on Friday night when the robbers forced open the front door to his flat while he was watching TV in the living room.

The man and woman had managed to sneak into gated Summervale House tower block, in Vale Drive, at some time between 9.30 and 10.30pm.

They ripped a two-foot long wooden coat hanger baton off the wall and repeatedly hit the victim over the head with it.

The attack lasted several minutes and the man’s hands were also injured as he desperately tried to defend himself.

He suffered cuts to his head and hands and was taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital, where he has remained in hospital since as a precaution.

Police are hunting the offenders and have appealed for anyone with information to contact them.

Det Sgt Paul Hatton, of Oldham CID, said: “This was a cruel, cowardly attack on a vulnerable elderly man.

“The poor man was subjected to a sustained beating and we can only be thankful that his injuries were not more serious.

“To intrude so violently on this man’s life for the sake of a £10 note is beneath contempt and I want to reassure the community that we are doing all we can to trace the people responsible.”

Due to the shocking nature of the attack, the victim has only managed to give a limited description of the offenders.

The man is described as unshaven and in his 20s while the woman is described as in her late teens or early 20s and white.

Anyone with information is asked to call Oldham CID on 0161-856 8951 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.