‘Justice must be done after callous break-in’

At about 10.45pm on Monday, August 31, a man entered a house in the Ballymacash Road area of Lisburn and demanded car keys off the male resident, a man aged in his 90s.

The burglar made off with the car, a blue Ford Mondeo,

A while later, at approximately 11.10pm, the car was in a collision with a wall and was set on fire in the Distillery Street area of West Belfast.

The car was destroyed in the fire.

The resident was assaulted but not injured in the incident.

Detective Inspector Cummings said: “The burglar is described as being aged in his late 20s or early 30s. He had short , dark hair and is thought to be about 6ft tall.”

Lagan Valley MLA Jonathan Craig, who is a member of the Policing Board, has urged anyone with information about the incident to contact the police.

“This is yet another outrageous attack on our elderly community,” said Mr Craig.

“People who are vulnerable shouldn’t have to deal with this in their later years.

“It is disgraceful to steal a vehicle, something which this elderly man depends on. Anyone with information about the incident must pass it to the police as soon as possible so that justice can be done.”

Detective Inspector Cummings added: “I would ask anyone with any information about this incident to contact detectives in Lisburn Police Station on the non emergency number 101. Or if someone would prefer to provide information without giving their details, they can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers and speak to them anonymously 
on 0800 555 111.”