Elderly Pretoria man tortured with boiling water in two-hour home invasion

UPDATE: Manhunt launched following attack on elderly Pretoria man

An elderly man was lucky to be alive after he was brutally attacked, beaten and tortured with boiling water for two hours in his home in the Menlyn Maine area, Pretoria.

Peter Treichel (78) was home alone watching television around midnight last Thursday, when two intruders entered his house and overpowered him, Pretoria Rekord reports.

According to his daughter Natascha, Peter was hit over the head with a crystal bowl and a flower pot, before being strangled, kicked and threatened with a knife to the throat. He was tied up with electrical wires.

“They forced him to take his wedding ring off, otherwise they will cut his finger off. They poured boiling water from the kettle over his arm and lap.”

Natascha said: “The attackers tried to gain access to the safe while they continued to torture my father with boiling water while his head was covered with a cloth.

“The fact that he survived the attack is a miracle, God alone knows,” Natascha said.

After being kicked down the stairs Peter managed to activate the panic button and the suspects fled the scene with a handful of valuable goods. Peter suffered “massive blood loss”, gashes on his hands and head for which he had to receive 32 stitches.

Describing her father as a “very strong and intelligent man”, Natascha said that she was currently upgrading security at her father’s property after the attack.

“Is this what our lovely South Africa has become? Torturing and exploiting the elderly for over two hours, for a couple of household items? I feel sick to my stomach,” she said.

Police were yet to comment on the matter.