Pensioners assaulted during raids

A pensioner was assaulted at his Rostrevor home

A 92-year-old woman has suffered injuries to her face and neck after being attacked by a man during a burglary at her house in Warrenpoint.

She was one of two pensioners attacked in south Down on Tuesday night.

An 85-year-old man was assaulted by four masked men who knocked his back door in St Rita's Park, Rostrevor at about 2015 GMT. They stole his wallet.

The second raid happened at 2030 GMT in the Ashgrove area. The robbers left in a dark estate car both times.

Both victims were left "deeply upset and traumatised", police said.

In the Warrenpoint robbery, the 92-year-old woman's son, who is 62, came downstairs to find one member of a gang of men with his hands around his mother's throat.

She was trying to defend herself with her walking stick.

Windscreen

The men ran off but the pensioner's son went after them and threw a stick at their dark-coloured estate car. It broke the back windscreen.

In the Rostrevor incident, the robbers ransacked the 85-year-old's house before leaving with a wallet and money again in a dark coloured estate.

Police have appealed for anyone with any information about the incidents to contact them.

Meanwhile, the Alliance Party has discussed attacks on the elderly during a meeting with Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde.

Afterwards the party's Eileen Bell said: "The chief constable fully accepted that it should not be the case that people have to turn their homes into a fortress to remain safe.

"I am assured his officers are taking this extremely seriously, and taking action through patrols and education to counter it."