An armed gang who poured a kettle of boiling water over the heads of a retired couple while torturing them during a robbery at their village home are being hunted by police.
The husband, 66, and wife, 64, were watching television in their home on the outskirts of the village of Halstead near Sevenoaks, Kent when three men kicked in their front door around 9pm.
The gang, wearing masks and armed with knives, smashed up all the phones in the property to prevent the couple calling for help.
In the two-hour raid on April 26 they tied up and beat the terrified couple, who have been married for 40 years. They also threatened to kill the couple’s grandchildren and slice off the man’s ear.
A full kettle of boiling water was poured over both of the victims’ heads, leaving them with appalling burns. The gang left with cash.
Advertisement
Both victims are undergoing treatment in a specialist burns units.
The husband, a businessman, suffered burns to 10 per cent of his body. His wife is in a specialist London hospital with burns to 20 to 30 per cent of her body. She underwent surgery and has suffered complications. They are expected to remain in hospital for weeks. Both victims have asked not to be identified to protect their family members.
Twenty minutes after the robbers left, the husband managed to untie himself and was able to raise the alarm.
The man’s 68-year-old brother said yesterday: “They were on them within seconds.
“It got to the stage where they said to them that they were going to kill one of them and they didn’t mind which one.”
Advertisement
He added that he was “absolutely shocked”. He said: “They are just ordinary family people. Why would anyone want to do anything like this?
“There must be a local connection because they knew things. They threatened other family members.”
Kent police have not disclosed how much cash was stolen in the aggravated burglary. Detective Sergeant Simon Harrold, of Kent police’s serious and organised crime unit, said: “I can only imagine the trauma and shock they have suffered.
“Generally, Halstead is an area which is very safe to live in and we are treating this as an isolated incident. But, I would urge anyone who has any information which may help our enquiries to get in touch as soon as possible.”