The nephew of two elderly sisters who died months after they were brutally attacked during rid on their home has called for tougher sentences for thugs who target pensioners.
Joe McKean was speaking after it was revealed that attacks on the elderly across Ireland have soared.
Alarming figures show that robberies and assaults on pensioners have more than doubled since 2006.
Mr McKean’s aunts Isa and Suzi died months after a robbery at their home in Raphoe in 2013.
The elderly ladies were roughed up during a horrific ordeal in which a gang robbed their lovely countryside home.
The late Isa Arthur never got over the attack on her home and the death of her sister Suzi.
Suzi was thrown to the ground and broke her hip and never recovered from her ordeal.
Isa died later having never gotten over the death of her beloved sister.
Nobody has ever been caught for the attack which disgusted the ordinary, decent people of County Donegal.
Mr McKean said “These boys….if they got harsher sentences for attacking people they they might think twice.
“These type of people who do these things to older people , they really do not understand the harm they cause.”
Age Action Ireland has also called on the Government and An Garda Siochana to do more to protect the elderly and vulnerable in their homes.
Justin Moran of Age Action said It’s more than six years since the last Garda strategy for dealing with crimes targeting older people was published.
“These figures should be a call to action for the Government and the Gardai. We need a new resourced strategy to ensure that older people can feel safe in their homes.”
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