By James MortlockBRUTAL robbers knocked an elderly man to the floor to get at his £1,000 savings after barging into his home.Detectives said they were shocked by the violence used by the robbers, who tried none of the distraction techniques usually used in such raids, when they forced their way into the man's home in Felsham, near Bury St Edmunds.

By James Mortlock

BRUTAL robbers knocked an elderly man to the floor to get at his £1,000 savings after barging into his home.

Detectives said they were shocked by the violence used by the robbers, who tried none of the distraction techniques usually used in such raids, when they forced their way into the man's home in Felsham, near Bury St Edmunds.

Detective Inspector Mike Bacon, who is leading the hunt for the gang of two men, said the 75-year-old victim had answered a knock at his door ojn Thursday night and had been confronted by the men.

One of them barged into his home and ordered him to hand over money, but the pensioner grabbed him when he went towards a cabinet that contained a metal money tin.

A struggle ensured before the pensioner was knocked to the ground and the robber snatched the tin box before fleeing with his accomplice.

Det Insp Bacon said the victim had escaped serious injury, but stressed: “He is very, very upset and still in shock from what happened to him.

“He was barged out of the way and was eventually pushed to the floor - given his age, he could have been quite seriously injured.”

Det Insp Bacon said the crime was particularly unusual and added: “We're used to burglaries where the victim is not on the premises, but to do this when the victim is at home is quite rare and we're treating it very seriously.

“They made no effort to distract him. With distraction burglaries there is usually no violence involved - one person distracts attention while another sneaks in. In this case, the offender just barged in.

“We don't know why this man has been targeted, but we believe the same gang may have knocked on other doors and when perhaps younger people or families were found to be at home, made their excuses and left in a hurry.”

Det Insp Bacon said the pensioner had been brave to try to fight off the robbers, but he stressed: “Hopefully, we won't get any more similar offences but our advice would be to never put yourself at risk.

“Concentrate on getting evidence for the police by studying what they're wearing, what kind of vehicle they are in and which direction they leave in.

“This man had £1,000 in cash stolen and we would advise people against keeping that amount of money at home.

“Thankfully, crimes of this nature are rare in Suffolk, but this does not detract from the seriousness of this offence or the distress it caused to the victim.”

The first man is described as dark-skinned, aged about 35, 5ft 8in tall and wearing a balaclava and a duffle coat. His accomplice was also dark-skinned and wearing a woolly hat.

Their victim believes they were in a car and headed towards Cockfield when they left.

Anyone who saw anything suspicious in Felsham at about 6.30pm on Thursday or has information on the robbery should contact Stowmarket police on 01473 613500.

james.mortlock@eadt.co.uk