A 70-year-old man with an intellectual disability is terrified of returning to his Melbourne home after he was brutally bashed and robbed.
Rob (who did not want to use his last name) was alone in his Reservoir home at 2am on Sunday when a man approached him and asked for a cigarette.
The man then attacked Rob and robbed him – even stealing his war medals – before leaving him bound and gagged on the floor, where he remained until his carer found him at around 9am.
He was unable to call for help because his attacker disabled his phone.
Rob’s sister Gail Burge said her brother had the mental capacity of an eight-year-old child and was now living in fear.
“He’s scared of dogs and thunderstorms … it makes you so angry that someone could do that to someone so fragile,” she said.
“He’s pretty compliant. So there wouldn’t have been any reason to tie him up, and there probably wouldn’t have been any reason to push him.
“If they came and said, ‘we’ve got to check the electricity’, he probably would’ve let them in.”
Victoria Police has released the below sketch of the man they are seeking in relation to the attack. Rob was unable to recall any details of his attacker’s eyes or nose.
Anyone with any information is urged to call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.
