An elderly victim of a robbery that left him practically penniless for the month has been overwhelmed with offers of help, including one by the Housing Authority, which stepped in to cover his rent for August.
“I would like to thank all those people who took an interest in what happened to me. They made me feel so good,” an emotional Antonio Brincat said as he tried to hold back tears of joy.
After reporting the ordeal Mr Brincat went through, several people called The Times to see how they could help. Most offered money and suggested that a fund be set up where they could deposit money in Mr Brincat’s name.
The 76-year-old, who lives on his own in a St Paul’s Bay apartment, was walking back from an ATM at the seaside town in the evening two weeks ago when he was robbed of €500, practically his entire pension, leaving him with hardly any money for the rest of the month. About €300 of the money stolen was meant to settle the rent.
Mr Brincat went public with his story to highlight the plight of people who end up in his situation. He suggested that a fund should be set up to help in such cases. So far there has been no indication of such a fund being set up but the response was beyond Mr Brincat’s expectations.
One of the very first to act was the Housing Authority, which offered to cover his rent for the month.
A woman, insisting on anonymity, offered him a cheque for the amount stolen: €500. She admitted she felt sorry for Mr Brincat and what had happened to an innocent elderly man, who was “easy prey” for the three robbers, “who probably needed money for drugs”.
Mr Brincat thanked all those who offered to help in one way or another. He insisted he did not want to beg or become a charitable case but simply wanted to raise awareness that such things did happen and people like him, who lived on very little, found themselves in dire straits in such situations.
Police sources said investigations on the theft were still under way and CCTV footage provided by different establishments in the area was being examined.