Man's shocking plan to blind 90-year-old woman during break-in

A man who broke into a 90-year-old woman’s house and sprayed her in the face with a mixture of chilli sauce and detergent has been jailed for more than nine years.

Mohammed Nawaz, 52, barged into the elderly woman’s home in southeast Birmingham, in the UK, on August 26 armed with a squirt bottle filled with the mixture.

West Midlands Police said in a statement they believe Nawaz, who has 36 previous offences for burglary, targeted the pensioner because he suspected she wouldn’t be home at the time.

The “prolific crook” forced his way past the woman and into her home, where he came face-to-face with her 49-year-old son who was visiting.

Nawaz squirted both the elderly woman and her son in the face with the concoction, temporarily blinding them before he fled the house empty-handed.

“We believe Nawaz saw the woman as an easy target, someone he could deceive or quickly steal from, but he hadn’t counted on her son being in the house,” Detective Constable Arita Chonkria said in a statement.

Police have thanked a Good Samaritan who heard screams coming from the house and confronted Nawaz as he was fleeing.

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Unfortunately, he also was on the receiving end of a face full of the spicy liquid, but with the help of other passers-by, he managed to keep Nawaz pinned down until police arrived.

Nawaz was arrested on the spot and will serve nine years and one month behind bars after he pleading guilty to suspicion of attempted robbery and three counts of administering a noxious substance.

“This was a shocking ordeal for the woman and her son but thankfully neither were seriously hurt. And I hope they can take comfort from the fact the offender has been jailed for several years,” Detective Chonkria said.

Police also thanked the man who tackled Nawaz so he could be taken into custody.

“Thank you and we’ll be looking to formally recognise his efforts when our force awards scheme gets back up and running post Covid,“ Detective Chonkria said.

Nawaz was jailed for a similar offence in 2010 when he broke into a 93-year-old’s home and squirted a substance in their face before stealing items.

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