Thug is no match for Harry, 97
WAR VETERAN RECOVERING AFTER BEING ATTACKED IN HIS OWN HOME
A DEFIANT 97-year-old war veteran who was brutally attacked and robbed in his own home has spoken of his determination to recover.
Harry Melling served with the Royal Navy as a submariner during the Second World War – keeping Britain’s coastlines safe from Nazi U-boats and protecting Allied convoys.
He told how a thug in dark clothing barged into his home then knocked him to the floor and pulled his trousers down to steal his wallet.
Proud Harry, a widower with no children, admitted being ‘very much afraid,’ but defiantly vowed to bounce back and get on with his life.
Harry said he fears the robber could strike again - and ‘go further’ next time.
Issuing a plea to the public to help police catch the coward, he said: “I would say that I was afraid at the time, but I’m certainly not afraid now. At 97 you have supposedly seen it all, but this was definitely a new thing and I have had to try to overcome it.
“This fellow does catching.
“If people have any understanding of going through this sort of thing like I have done, then they would do everything possible that they can to help the Former submariner Harry Melling, 97 really need police. I feel he will go further. If it was money he was after, he will try again.” Harry, a former church warden and devout Christian, had been enjoying a quiet drink with a friend at his home on Mitchell Street in Newtown, Wigan. He was closing the front door after saying goodbye when the robber struck. “I remember this fellow at the door and after that it was vague,” he said. “I realised that lying flat on my back as I was with my pants down meant I was very vulnerable and I was very much afraid. It embarrassed me really.” The robber – described as only about 5ft 8in – fled with the wallet containing cash and bank cards. Harry thankfully escaped unhurt and managed to raise the alarm. He said: “It was a shock. It unsettled me for quite a period of time and it has disturbed me. I wouldn’t say I am brave, probably more stubborn.” Police said Harry was being supported by a large extended family of nieces and nephews. Detective Sergeant Phil Housley called the robbery an ‘horrific incident’ and issued a fresh appeal for information. “Fortunately Harry wasn’t hurt but has been left shaken and scared in his own home. Please help us catch whoever did this by getting in touch with any information you have.” Call police on 0161 856 7124 or 101 – or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.