A masked man armed with a screwdriver threatened a woman, aged in her 70s in an aggravated burglary in west Belfast last night (Thursday 4 March).
The incident happened at around 8:30pm.
The woman confronted the masked intruder at her home on Islandbawn Street after he forced entry, causing damage to a door.
The intruder, who was armed with a screwdriver, brandished it at the woman, threatened her and demanded money. She tried to close a door on the suspect, but he pushed it open again.
Thankfully, when she raised the alarm, the suspect ran off. The suspect is described as being around 5ft 3” tall, of a thin build, and he was wearing dark clothing with a black face mask and a black ‘beanie’ hat.
Detective Sergeant O’Flaherty said thankfully, the woman was not physically injured.
‘However, as you can imagine, this must have been a frightening ordeal for the victim who was confronted by a masked man in her own home who threatened her. This would have been terrifying. It was despicable.
“I want to appeal to anyone who may have been on Islandbawn Street between 8:25pm and 8:35pm last night, and who noticed anything out of the ordinary, or any individuals acting suspiciously, to call our detectives at Musgrave on 101, and quote reference number 1824 of 04/03/21,” he said.
Detective Sergeant O’Flaherty added: “I want to take this opportunity to ask people, especially those with older relatives or neighbours, to look out for them. If you require further advice on home security, or any other aspect of crime prevention please ring us on 101 or check out psni.police.uk. If you are aware of suspicious activity in your neighbourhood please ring us immediately. Your call could prevent a crime.”