Grandad tortured by masked thief who then stole life savings

A thug who viciously beat an elderly man in his own home and robbed him of his life savings has been jailed for 15 years.

Nicholas Walsh, 36, walked into the pensioner's flat in Blackpool through an unlocked door, before launching a brutal assault as the man's wife lay in bed.

Preston Crown Court was told Walsh had been at a party in the flat upstairs, but at 1am burst into the bedroom wearing a scarf over his face and carrying a knife.

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.

Initially the man said he only had £20 and begged for his life, telling Walsh he had grandchildren.

But Walsh slashed the grandad across his forehead, stabbed his ears then jabbed him in the eye with the handle of a knife during the terrifying ordeal on April 25, 2020.

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His victim, a frail man who was recovering from an operation, was so scared by the masked man who pulled him out of bed he lifted up the mattress and handed over £1,000 in cash.

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.

Judge Robert Altham, sentencing, described the man's ordeal as a "living nightmare".

He added the victim was clearly vulnerable and was being exploited by the people who lived in the flat upstairs from him

During the trial, the man said it reached a point where as soon as he made a noise in his flat, someone would be down asking for money.

He was saving up a deposit in the hope he could escape the exploitation, and the money that was stolen by Walsh could have allowed him to move.

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But now he feels so anxious he has had CCTV installed and regularly gets up at night to check the doors are locked.

In a victim impact statement he said he suffers blurred vision in his eye and hearing problems after being stabbed in both his ears.

Walsh, of Mayfair Avenue, Manchester, 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 had 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."

Walsh has been ordered serve an additional five years on licence in addition to his prison time.