Attack leaves elderly woman traumatised

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 11th Oct 2004

Newtownabbey Alliance councillor Lynn Frazer, has said that an elderly woman (71) in Carnmoney, Newtownabbey was assaulted and robbed on Saturday evening was traumatised by the incident.

Cllr Frazer, who lives nearby, said she doubted if she would ever fully recover from the horrific ordeal, in which the woman was grabbed and threatened with a screwdriver.

Cllr Frazer said: "I know her family have come down and taken her away from the house because she was so badly shaken up by this horrendous ordeal. There have been a spate of break-ins in this area recently and older people will not be feeling reassured by what is going on.

"It is not so much what the robbers stole, it is the mental impact, the feeling that you're not safe and secure in your own home. I do not know if an elderly person could ever get over an attack like this.

"While we need the PSNI to take action and catch the thugs responsible for terrorising older people in our community, it is important that preventative measures are taken to protect the vulnerable from attacks, robberies and burglaries.

"Sadly they are all too common, and I would also urge people to be a good neighbour, keep an eye on those who are most vulnerable and report any suspicious activity to the PSNI."