Sutton OAP attacked with his own walking sticks sparking fury in Oxfordshire village
The attacker only stopped when the pensioner handed him £40 from his pocket
A FURIOUS village community has rallied around a frail 85-year-old man battered with his OWN walking sticks by a thug.
A man burst into the “true gent’s” home and brutally beat him round the face, head and body with the metal sticks – stopping only when, losing consciousness from loss of blood, he pulled £40 from his pocket.
The vicious and merciless attack has shocked the close-knit village of Sutton, in Oxfordshire, where the Italian-born OAP is known as 'Aldo'.
A fund to help Aldo, who's been recovering in hospital, raised nearly £1,000 in just 24 hours.
Caron Bradley, 49, cared for his wife of more than 50 years, Bridget, until her death in May.
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Mum-of-three Caron said: "Bridget made me promise to look after him.
"The first thing he said to me when I saw him in hospital was 'What have I done to deserve this?'
"I burst into tears, he was covered in blood.
"I was horrified that anybody could want to hurt an elderly person.
"He is a true gentleman, one of those old-fashioned perfect men. He is so kind."
Caron said she is “overwhelmed” by the community's response.
She said Aldo had been asleep when the burglar smashed in the front door at about 8.30pm.
She said "He hobbled round to get his walking sticks and the man was saying 'where's your money?'
"He took his sticks off Aldo and started repeatedly hitting him.
"He's got a wound on his head that's been stapled and a nasty gash on his elbow where he tried to block his face.
"He put his hand on Aldo's mouth to stop him screaming.
"He only stopped and ran off when Aldo gave him £40 from his pocket."
Staff at Sutton Courtenay Tyres garage have set up a JustGiving page for Aldo.
Manager Nigel Primrose, 54, said "We thought it would be a nice thing to try to help him restore his faith in mankind.
"His trust in people has been rocked to the core. His home should be a fortress for him but he is going to be feeling very vulnerable."
Local people have also donated food hampers and offered to fit new doors for free.
Thames Valley Police said the suspect is black, around 30-years-old, slim and around 5ft 10 to 5ft 11ins tall. He was wearing a hat and gloves, black clothing and a face covering.
Detective Constable Paul Geddert said "This was a frightening ordeal for the victim, and we really need the public’s help to track the offender in this incident.
"We would ask anyone with information about the incident or anyone who has spotted a man matching the description prior to or after the incident then we would urge them to get in touch.";
Anyone with information can call 101 quoting reference 1481 07/11/16.
A mugging victim shared pictures of her horrific injuries this morning in a bid to trace her attacker.
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