Elderly man kicked and threatened during robbery

Detective Constable Maxwell said : “At around 5.30pm, a man in his 70s returned home and as he opened the front door was bundled inside by two men, kicked and placed on a chair before being pushed off it. He then had one leg tied to the chair leg with a cable tie. One of the men stayed with him while the other searched the house.

“The pair threatened to injure the man with hedge trimmers and a pair of serrated cutters. They then made off from the property with a sum of cash, the victim’s watch and his car – a grey Toyota RAV 4.

“The older man managed to free himself and raised the alarm at a neighbour’s house at around 6.10pm. Although he was not physically hurt in the incident, he was left badly shaken by what happened.

“We would appeal to anyone who saw a number of men acting suspiciously in the area of the Hillsborough Old Road around 5pm last night to contact police. We also want to trace the movements of the RAV 4 that was stolen and would again ask anyone who may have seen it leaving the area around 6pm last night to let us know.

“This was an invasive and sickening attack on an older man and we would urge anyone with information about it to contact detectives in Lisburn on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 1004 of 16/11/18.”

Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.