An 80-year-old Chinese man literally fought for his life, when an armed robber tried to strangle him yesterday afternoon (April 14).
The pensioner and his family fear for their safety, following the savage attack on Victoria Road at about 5.30pm.
“My grandfather and I were checking the motor of our electric gate, as my grandmother was pulling the car into the yard,” said the victim’s grandson, speaking on condition of anonymity.
As the grandmother entered the property, a man walked in through the open gate.
“When he saw my grandfather and I, he pulled out a gun and my grandad tried to push him away.”
A scuffle ensued, which culminated in the robber attempting to throttle the elderly man.
“The man had two friends with him, standing by the gate and watching. I screamed at the man who was strangling my grandfather so that he would stop.”
To protect his family, the pensioner shouted for his grandson to go into the house and lock the doors.
“I ran inside and immediately called the police. While I was inside, my grandfather managed to get the gate closed so the man could be stuck in the yard.”
With their plan backfiring, the two suspects at the gate fled, leaving their accomplice behind.
“When the gate was closed, the man jumped over our wall. We have electrical fencing on top of it though, so he got shocked first and fell back into the yard. He managed to get over eventually and ran away.”
The pensioner was not severely injured, but is in shock.
“When he was trying to strangle me, I felt the gun and it was extremely light, so I suspect it might have been a fake,” said the pensioner.
