A man who burgled his vulnerable elderly neighbour and violently attacked her has been convicted.
Terrence Rox, 52 (04.02.65), of Priors Mead, Enfield was found guilty of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and burglary at the Old Bailey today, Friday 30 June.
He will be sentenced at the same court on Monday, 3 July.
Police received a call from a distressed member of public at 11:59hrs on 4 March 2017 to reports that a 79-year-old woman had been attacked in her home in Priors Mead, Enfield.
Officers dashed to the scene and found the injured victim. Her face was covered in blood and tape was tightly wrapped around her neck. The victim was able to name her attacker as one of her neighbours – Terrence Rox.
Police forced entry to his address and found a ring belonging to the victim on the floor in his hallway but Rox was no longer present.
The victim was taken to hospital and it became clear that she also suffered from dementia. Soon after, the victim was unable to recall anything of the incident and she believed she was at hospital for a check-up.
The victim sustained two loose teeth, bruising and cuts to her entire face, bruising around her neck from the ligature and bruising and grazes to her right elbow. She has since made a full-recovery.
Rox was arrested at about 13:00hrs on 4 March by officers when he was spotted entering Priors Mead. He was found to have blood on his hands, which was later linked through DNA to belong to the victim, along with blood on other items of his clothing.
Officers searched Rox and in his pockets they found other stolen items from the victim’s address.
Rox was interviewed by officers and provided no account to police about the events of that day. Rox was charged on 5 March.
Enquiries revealed that Rox entered the victim’s address via a communal hallway and then the front door at about 11:30hrs. Rox then punched the victim in the head and placed a length of tape around her neck and squeezed. He then removed the victim’s jewellery and left. The victim then alerted her neighbour about what had happened.
DC Joel Gregory, the investigating officer from Enfield’s Major Crime Unit, said: “This was one of the most shocking attacks on a vulnerable person that I have seen during my time in the police. Thankfully the victim of this incident did not sustain any long term injuries. As a result of her dementia, the victim remembers nothing of what she was subjected to.
“Thanks to the assistance of the victim’s neighbour and the quick thinking of the officers who arrived first on scene, we were able to secure valuable evidence which meant this case could proceed without the victim’s account.
“This is an important conviction against an extremely dangerous offender.”
