Knife-wielding burglar battered by pensioner

A BURGLAR was left battered and bruised by an elderly man after brandishing a knife in the pensioner’s home.

Former boxer Frank Corti, 72, said he was compelled to defend himself and his wife after Gregory McCalium threatened them at their Oxfordshire home.

McCalium, 24, confronted the elderly couple after a row over noise levels between the neighbours on Queens Close, Botley, Oxford.

Oxford Crown Court heard McCalium was drunk after attending an all-night party when he forced his way into the Corti home at 8am on August 19 last year.

McCalium, a cocktail barman, threw the knife towards Corti but the former Royal Engineer dodged the blade and punched him to the face twice.

The younger man, who was found guilty of aggravated burglary after a trial, was given a black eye and a bloodied lip before being restrained.

Detective Constable Jon Shaw of Thames Valley Police said: “The elderly man, who at the time was at home with his wife, was able to subdue the man until the police arrived.

“Fortunately, no one was more injured in this incident but this was still a terrifying situation and McCalium must now pay for his actions.

“I hope that the victim and his wife might now be able to put this ordeal behind them and get on with their lives.”

McCalium was sentenced to four-and-a-half years imprisonment by Oxford Crown Court this week.

Frank Corti told the Oxford Mail: “We are very pleased because our life was severely disrupted by the incident and we are pleased he won’t be troubling us for a few years.

“I had to restrain him before he could go and get the knife.

“I was scared when he first threw the knife, but most people would have acted in the same way.

“If you can’t defend what’s yours, where are we at?”

Corti, whose wife Margaret was also home at the time of the attack, received only minor injuries.

An order was made for the knife used by McCalium to be destroyed.

During sentencing at Oxford Crown Court, Brian Payne, prosecuting, said: “There was a struggle and it was clear Mr McCalium was intoxicated because his reactions were slow.

“It seems Mr McCalium ended up with far more serious injuries.”

There had been a long-standing dispute between the two neighbours which culminated with the break-in.

John Simmons, defending, said: “Whatever happened that night was a coming together of a situation that had been brewing for some time and in the run-up neither of them covered themselves in glory.

“It was like a pressure cooker that finally blew.”

He added: “Photographs of the defendant showed what looked like a car accident and photos of the scene looked more like a murder scene.”

The magistrate sentencing McCalium told him he “got what he deserved”.

Due to McCalium’s age and lack of serious previous convictions, Angela Morris said she would pass a short sentence.

“Luckily, Mr Corti was an able-bodied 72-year-old who was able to defend himself,” she said.