A physical attack on several senior citizens, a nurse and a visitor at a home for the elderly in Woodbrook on Saturday is now engaging the attention of the police.
Investigating officers are now looking for the attacker, who is said to be a close male relative of one of the home’s officials. Police believe that the man is in hiding.
According to a police report, at about 5.10 pm, a 49-year-old woman, whose identity was not given, went to the home at Petra Street to visit her 83-year-old mother when she was attacked by the man.
The woman was slammed head first into a wall, dragged and bodily slammed twice on an iron gate before being thrown out into the street.
A 55-year-old nurse was struck on the right side of her head near her ear with a stone by the attacker. The visitor’s mother, who suffers from Alzheimers, was also attacked.
Currently at the home there are said to be seven residents—three elderly men and four women.
When the T&T Guardian contacted one of the victims yesterday, she said that she and the other victims remained very much traumatised over the entire incident and are hoping for speedy justice.
An investigating officer told the T&T Guardian that they received information that the man frequents the place and is sometimes seen doing chores at the home.
When contacted yesterday, the visitor who was attacked spoke with strict anonymity and described the incident as “appalling” especially given the fact that it happened on the first day of her fast for the Holy month of Ramadan.
The woman said she arrived at the home for the visiting hours, between 5 pm to 7 pm. She said usually they would have her mother waiting for her in the porch but when she got there her mother was seated in the living room area.
“I went upstairs and saw the gentleman (the attacker) sleeping on the couch, his back turned to me. I saw that his pants were off and on the ground and the nurse was trying to wake him up. I went to my mum and hugged and kissed her and asked how she was doing. All that time the nurse continued talking to the man telling him to get up. He began to twist and turn on the couch. She told him that I was there to see my mother and that he should get up and organise himself because she had to leave as her shift has ended,” the woman said.
“With that the man got up in a rage and started to curse the nurse and told her to get out. I quickly asked the nurse to help me move my mother to the porch. The nurse told the man to leave her alone and he left and went outside. I thought he had left but when I looked outside again I saw him running up the stairs with a concrete slab in his hand,” she added.
The woman said that as the man entered the room an elderly man attempted to block him but he slapped the man and pushed him out of his way.
“The man then started to walk up to the nurse and the nurse tried to run but he chased after her and hit her with the concrete slab to the head. She fell and all I could see was blood. I started to scream and tried to get my mother away from there but then he walked up to me in my face. I told him I was fasting and to move. That was when he choked me and slammed me to the ground,” the woman added.
The woman said she told the nurse to stay with her mother while she go to the police for help.
All victims were taken to the St James Medical Centre where they were treated and discharged.
Investigating officers have already retrieved their medical reports and are said to be continuing investigations.
