Elderly man attacked and robbed in home by intruder

A man climbed through a back window of Tommy Martin’s Loughgall home on Tuesday evening before forcing him against a bench in the property and stealing his wallet before making off.

His wife Irene Martin – who had been away from the home at the time – said she and her husband have lived in the Tirmacrannon Road property since 1997 “and this was the first time anything like this has ever happened”.

“It shakes you up, but we will get through it.” she said.

“He took his wallet. There were a couple of wee photographs of the grandchildren in it and money, but they can be replaced.”

Mrs Martin said her husband was “good” after the robbery and “so thankful they didn’t hurt him”.

“He took the wallet out of his back pocket as he went to get an alarm buzzer we have,” she said.

“And when he pulled the buzzer, the fella pushed him against the bench and then ran out through the front door.

“But they could have knocked him down. We are very thankful for that.”

Mrs Martin said the experience will make her anxious about leaving her husband again.

“But if they want to get in, they will get in,” she said.

“I presume they thought no one was there because the car was away. And if we had been away the house could have been ransacked. So there are a lot of reasons to be thankful.”

Newry and Armagh DUP Assembly candidate William Irwin, who visited the Martins after the incident said they had both been left shaken.

“I spent some time with Mr Martin and assured him and his dear wife that they are in the thoughts and prayers of the wider community in Loughgall and we hope that they get over the shock of this ordeal as soon as possible,” he said.

Mr Irwin said there has been “a spike in this sort of crime in recent weeks”.

“That will obviously be concerning for our elderly community and again it must be said that those behind these despicable acts deserve the most stringent sentencing by the courts,” he said.

He appealed for anyone with information about the incident to contact the PSNI.

A PSNI spokesman said the intruder is described as being aged in his 20s or 30s and was wearing a grey coloured coat, grey trousers and a hat.

Detective Constable Victoria Holmes has appealed for anyone who witnessed the incident or anyone with any information that can assist with the investigation to contact detectives in Lurgan on 101.

Information can also be passed anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.