A North Belfast pensioner has described how he bravely confronted a man attempting to rob him in his flat last week posing as a member of staff from the Water Service.Bawnmore 69-year-old Anthony Doonan was in his flat on Thursday morning when a man came to his door claiming to be from the Water Board and wearing a high visibility vest.
The long-term resident of the area said he let the man into his home only to quickly become suspicious.
“He came into my kitchen and turned the water on, he said to me to get down and switch the stopcock off,” he said.
“I said to him the water board wouldn’t be asking me to turn the water off, so I got him by the arm and threw him out of the house then I saw him drive away.”
It's understood the male was travelling in a small blue hatchback, possibly a Peugeot, with two other males.
Mr Doonan, an avid reader of newspapers, said he read about similar incidents with other pensioners but never thought it would happen to him.
‘You read about these old people getting robbed in their own houses and I never thought I would let someone in, but when it happens to you, you don’t think.
“I just threw him out of here anyway, I wasn’t having that. The cops and forensics were all here but I don’t hold out much hope they’ll find them. If they haven’t caught the people who did all the murders of people from Bawnmore it’s unlikely they’ll find these ones.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact police on 0845 600 8000.
