2:00pm Thursday 11th March 2010
By Simon Farr
AN 87-YEAR-OLD war hero has spoken of the terrifying moment a man held a screwdriver to his chest and threatened to kill him in his own home.
Mervyn Bowen who served almost six years in the armed forces in the Second World War, says the man who broke into his Abbey Barn Road, High Wycombe home had “stolen his pride, self respect and confidence” in the horrifying attack.
The former business owner, who still works at 87, was watching EastEnders at about 8.10pm last Monday, March 1, when he heard a tapping noise coming from the other side of his living room.
As he got up to investigate, a man dressed in all-black clothing and a balaclava, leapt out from behind his chair, grabbed him around the face, pulled a ten inch screwdriver to his chest and screamed: “Don’t move or I’ll kill you”.
The great-grandfather of seven handed over £160 from his wallet and was repeatedly told ‘not to move or he would be stabbed’ as the attacker looked round the house for more cash.
As the robber went to ransack the kitchen, Mr Bowen, who served in Ardennes and Palestine during his service, slammed shut the kitchen door, lodged his sofa and armchair against the door and ran to his neighbours to raise the alarm.
The attacker managed to escape via the rear door and through the back garden.
Mr Bowen, whose wife Gladys died 14 years ago, says the house he has lived in for almost 50 years now feels “tarnished”, but he says the ordeal won’t force him out of the home he loves.
He said: “I love my house, I love living here and I have so many good memories from this house and this street. I grew up here in the 1930s.
“But it feels tarnished, I feel like I have lost someone very dear to me, it’s like a bereavement. I have lost confidence in myself and I was happy and confident.
“But this man has taken that all away from me in one night – I have never been treated like that in all my life, I accept what happened to me in the war because I signed up for it, I was always in charge.
“But it hurts, all the things I’ve done and then some little rat comes and does this. It will be with me for some considerable time, but I won’t move out and I won’t let them beat me.”
DC Claire Reed described the robbery as an “awful and potentially life changing attack”.
She added: “Someone local will know who has done this and anyone with any information should come forward to help track down this man.”
Contact DC Reed on 08458 505 505 or the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111 with any information.
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