War Veteran Robbed Of Winnings Outside Bookies On High Road

90-year-old man was accosted on the way home from Betfred

A 90-year-old World War Two veteran was mugged as he left a local bookie shop on Friday on Chiswick High Road.

The resident, whose name is Albert, was described as is about "a lovely gentle man" who has lived in Chiswick all his life.

Every morning he goes to Betfred on Chiswick High Road for his daily flutter.

On Friday he went in, placed his bet and collected his winnings from the previous day.

He then left to go home and as he came out and turned in the direction of his home he was approached by a man who threatened him and demanded his winnings, which he handed over.

The alarm was raised and police arrived but the culprit had run off.

Fortunately Albert was not harmed but he was described as being very shaken and distressed.

The incident comes after police in Chiswick recently warned of a rise in burglaries recently and asked residents to be alert to any suspicious behaviour. A police spokesperson said they are working "flat out" to stop this.

There have also been reports of bag snatches along the A4 in Chiswick.

Thefts from vehicles remains the single biggest problem for police in Chiswick and they want people to be on the alert for that and for potential burglars taking advantage of the dark evenings.

A spokesperson for local police said, "Tell us about any suspicious looking people lurking close to or paying particular attention to buildings. They may be walking slowly looking at houses or fences, standing outside a property, leaving car engines running or walking into driveways with their faces covered – if in doubt call 999, you are not wasting our time."

January 29, 2017