An elderly Cobbs Cross woman has been left shaken after three armed men stormed into her home, tied her up and threatened her life as they demanded her money and other valuables.
The victim, Jennifer Warren, recounted that she was beaten during the incident, and is now working closely with the police, her bank and other agencies, in trying to stop any further theft since the robbers escaped with her credit cards and driver’s licence among other things.
The 70-year-old woman said it was approximately 5:10 p.m. on April 14 (Sunday) when the three men entered her home, after
getting past her dogs which reportedly began barking when the bandits arrived, and never stopped until they escaped.
Recounting the ordeal, Warren said, “Two of them were hiding their identity, one of them had a red hoodie that he kept tying very tight around his face. The other had a black hoodie on and the person that was threatening me with the cutlass and squeezing my face so hard and trying to strangle had no protection on his face.”
The woman said the robbers ransacked her house and took her gold chain, silver ring, money, wallet with credit cards, and the keys to her car and house.
“My necklace was over US $2,000, it’s a gold and platinum chain which weighed over one ounce, a silver ring from my finger and they were looking for money,” she reported.
Warren told OBSERVER media she is happy to be alive as she continues to nurse her bruises and feel pain.
“I told them where the money was because I am not a hero. They were holding a machete to my throat and squeezing my face. You cannot believe the pain I am feeling in my neck as a result. I only had EC $500, I gave them,” she said.
The UK national who has been living in Antigua for several years, said she thought the men were going to rape her and she begged them not to do so.
“I was worried because they held my head under a pillow for a time. I told him to not rape me, I told them I was old enough to be their grandmother, that I was a nice lady and to take whatever they wanted to take and leave,” she recounted.
The victim is urging residents to be more vigilant and to take note of any unusual activities in their communities and to also be aware of what’s happening in their neighbour’s yard.
She said after the incident, a resident reported seeing an unusual black Toyota van with three people in it, scouting the neighbourhood earlier in the day, but that neighbour did not note the registration number on the vehicle.
Warren also pointed out that although her dogs were creating a ruckus, people in the area, who later admitted hearing the noise, did not investigate it because “it was just dogs barking”.
She said five minutes of sustained barking should be considered a clue that something is wrong.
The survivor is meanwhile thanking the police for their quick response though, up to Monday afternoon, the investigators had no suspects in their custody.
The woman is also thanking friends who decided to go stay with her after the incident, as well as other friends and well-wishers who reached out via calls or social media after she broke the news on Facebook about the attack.