Elderly woman left terrified in own home

IT is the work of the sickest of thieves.

First it was a brutal attack on a 75-year-old pensioner and today a frail 94-year-old deaf woman has been left terrified in her own home after believing it was targeted by burglars.

Phyllis Knott, of Allenby Close, is Ipswich's latest victim as burglars and robbers hit the town with a series of break-ins.

Mrs Knott was left in tears when she discovered glass in her front door had been smashed. Because she is deaf and did not hear the smashing glass, she is consumed by the fear the offenders entered the house without her knowing.

She is now frightened they will return to the home where she has lived for more than 70 years.

Mrs Knott's granddaughter-in-law, Beryl Knott, said: “She was sitting oblivious in the lounge throughout it all.

“She got up to go and make a cup of tea and saw the broken glass and rang my husband Vince straight away to go and help her.

“She is really upset and cried that night and now doesn't feel safe.

“I'm worried because she's well-known in the community and people know she lives there alone. That undoubtedly means the undesirables know she lives there alone too.

“She's a bit disorientated by it all but it's lucky we live nearby.”

The Evening Star revealed on Friday how 57 properties in north west Ipswich alone have been hit by burglars in the past month.

And on Saturday the Star told the story of 75-year-old Neville Sizer who was stabbed with a pair of scissors and beaten by a robber who forced his way into his Pelican Close home.

Beryl Knott, who lives opposite Phyllis, says she is also concerned at a delay in getting the glass in the door replaced after she was told by Ipswich Borough Council it could not be replaced until Friday - a week after it was broken - because it had to be ordered in.

She said: “If it was someone who didn't have family nearby to help, the burglar could have gone back to the house, put his hand through the gap and reached for the lock.”