A masked thug slashed a vulnerable pensioner across the forehead, stabbed his ears and jabbed him in the eye, before robbing him of his savings. Nicholas Walsh, of Manchester, has now been jailed for 15 years after his 76-year-old victim described the incident as a "living nightmare".
Preston Crown Court heard that the elderly man was recovering from an operation and was exploited by people living in the flat above - who would come down and ask for money whenever he made a noise. The man had been saving up a deposit in the hope he could escape the exploitation, the court was told.
At around 1am on April 25 2020, Walsh walked into the victim's Blackpool flat through an unsecured door after being at a party upstairs, LancsLive reports. He had a scarf covering his face and was holding a knife in front of him as he entered the bedroom.
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The victim's partner was so scared she hid under the bed covers, but Walsh pulled the man from the floor and demanded to know where his money was. "The victim was terrified", The Honorary Recorder of Preston, Judge Robert Altham said.
"He pleaded he only had £20 and begged the defendant not to kill him, saying he had grandchildren."
But as Walsh stabbed and slashed him with the knife, the terrified victim told him his money was under the mattress. Walsh took the man's cash and bank card and began to leave, but as the man told him he would be left penniless until his next benefits payment, Walsh threw a few notes on the floor. When police arrived at the flat, the man was crying and terrified.
In a victim impact statement he said he suffers blurred vision in his eye and hearing problems after being stabbed in both his ears. The money that was taken could have been life changing as he would have been able to escape the exploitation he was suffering, but now he feels so anxious he has had CCTV installed and regularly gets up at night to check the doors are locked.
Walsh, of Mayfair Avenue, denied being responsible for the robbery but was convicted following a trial at Preston Crown Court. The court heard he had been involved in drugs for many years and at the time of the robbery had a bounty on his head.
While on remand at HMP Preston, he suffered a serious stabbing and was placed in an induced coma. He is now drug free and has responsibilities in prison, the court heard.
Judge Altham noted Walsh's criminal record which contains a number of offences of robbery and possession of knives. He said: "The victim was tortured in his own home at night into providing details of the whereabouts of his money. I consider Walsh to be a dangerous offender."
He sentenced him to 15 years in custody with a five year extended licence. Walsh maintains his denials that he was the man who committed the offence.
