Alliance disgust at attack on blind and deaf pensioner

12.00.00am GMT Tue 1st Mar 2005

East Belfast Alliance MLA Cllr Naomi Long has expressed her disgust at the gang of thugs who terrorised a deaf and blind 91-year-old woman in her east Belfast home.

Three men kicked their way into the woman's Melrose Avenue house last Thursday evening and ransacked the house before fleeing with her purse. The woman was left suffering from shock.

Cllr Long, Chair of the East Belfast Sub-Group of the District Policing Partnership, said, "This is a despicable incident where a particularly vulnerable and defenseless lady was terrorized in her own home.

"Whilst incidents like this are thankfully still quite rare, clearly even one such robbery is one too many. It not only affects the victim of the crime, but also causes fear among other elderly people in the community, particularly those who are living alone.

"I would encourage people to look out for their vulnerable neighbours and reassure them. I would also encourage anyone with any information about the incident to pass it on to the police, because the individuals who did this deserve to feel the full force of the law."