Hooded men beat elderly farmer

An elderly farmer was in bed early yesterday morning when, minutes after his wife left to feed the sheep, he noticed two hooded strangers in his living room.

Żeppi Borg, 66, got out of bed and tried to stop the thieves with his walking frame but he was beaten and told to show them where his money was.

"I told them I had none. Then I tried to pull off the woollen mask of one of them and he hit me on the head with the handle of a screwdriver. Blood streamed out. I ended up on the ground. One thief remained near me while the other searched our bedroom," Mr Borg said.

Before leaving his San Ġwann home, the thieves handed him a pair of his own trousers to press against his wound and stop the bleeding. They then took off with about €1,700 in cash and hundreds of euros worth of jewellery. "I don't think they were experienced at stealing... When I was on the ground I realised it was not worth struggling. I think, if I had, they would have beaten me even more," he said as he touched his bandaged head.

His wife, Giovanna, reassured him he had made the right choice as his life was more important than any of their belongings.

"We've been through this before. Our house was burgled about 24 years ago. This time I can't believe how they robbed us in such a short time. I was only gone for about 15 minutes," she said as she held Candy, a poodle, in her arms.

Ms Borg explained that when their son left for work at about 6.30 a.m. she crossed the road to their farm to feed the sheep. Before she left she washed the floor and left the living room window ajar.

Her husband, who had just been operated on his right foot, was still in bed.

Their bedroom is situated on the ground floor across the hall from the living room. Soon after Mrs Borg left the house Candy started barking.

"Suddenly, I saw a man in the house. I got out of bed and called out to him. By the time I got out of the bedroom I realised there was another man," Mr Borg said.

He said the men spoke Maltese. One was fat and the other tall and thin. Both were wearing dark clothes with balaclavas and gloves.

The thin man guarded him while the other searched the bedroom but did not venture into any other rooms. Throughout the robbery Candy continued barking.

When the men left, Mr Borg limped into the drive way that leads into the busy Tal-Balal Road.

His wife was heading home when she heard the dog bark and saw her husband outside covered in blood.

"At first I thought he fell because he can't walk properly after his foot operation. Then he started shouting: 'They robbed us'," she recalled.

The couple called the police, who are investigating, and Mr Borg was taken to hospital where his wound was stitched up.

The couple cannot think of anyone who may want to harm them.