A PENSIONER was attacked with a machete and badly injured by a gang of men who burst into his home, a court heard.

Retired Robert Holman, who is known as Malcolm, and his wife Dorothy were shocked when the hooded men smashed open the front door of their home in Bolton and Bury Road, Higher Ainsworth at around 7.40am on Sunday, April 17 last year.

The gang demanded keys to the couple’s cars and Mr Holman was attacked when he demanded they leave the property. His arms were seriously injured as he held them up to defend himself from the machete blows.

Bolton Crown Court heard that the gang of five men eventually made off with car keys, Mrs Holman’s handbag and stole the couple’s Mercedes and Golf cars.

Alaric Bassano, prosecuting, told a jury that just four and a half hours earlier Louis Hamilton and another member of the gang had also burgled a house in Canterbury Drive, Bury, where, armed with a machete and a baseball bat, they attacked Anthony Parsons and his 49-year-old father, David, stealing £120 and a television.

Just after 3am, Anthony Parsons and his father David were woken by the sound of their home being broken into and were confronted on the stairs by a man carrying a machete and Hamilton with a baseball bat.

The son was struck with the machete whilst Hamilton rained down blows with the bat towards David Parsons’ head, which he deflected with his left arm.

“Louis Hamilton was shouting demands for money and threatened to kill both Parsons if these demands were not met,” said Mr Bassano.

£120 was stolen from a bedside table and a third man, who had remained downstairs, took a television.

David Parsons suffer multiple fractures of his forearm, which needed surgery and metal plates inserted.

Hamilton, aged 27, of Hudson Close, Bolton, and one of his accomplices both pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary at Canterbury Drive and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm to David Parsons.

The accomplice also admits intentionally causing grievous bodily harm to Mr Holman and aggravated burglary at the pensioner’s home, but Hamilton denies the offences.

The other members of the gang said to have been at the Holmans’ house included Jacob Holland, aged 27, of no fixed address, who has also admitted intentionally causing grievous bodily harm and aggravated burglary.

His 26-year-old brother Ashton Holland, of Barry Crescent, Worsley, admits committing the burglary but denies causing grievous bodily harm, and Macaulay Heald, aged 20, of Ridyard Street, Little Hulton, denies both offences.

Hamilton, Ashton Holland and Heald are all standing trial at Bolton Crown Court.

Mr Bassano told the jury that Hamilton, Ashton Holland and Heald all knew that the machete was being taken to the Holman house and so were jointly responsible for the attack, regardless of who actually wielded the weapon.

“What did they think their associate would do with the machete if the victim resisted their demands?” said Mr Bassano.

“The answer is obvious – they all knew and they all intended that the victim would be attacked if the need to attack arose.

“The need did arise, the victim was attacked – and they are all, in law, criminally liable for this assault.”

The court heard that, two hours after the attack on David and Anthony Parsons, Hamilton was at a house in Ainsworth Road, Bury, with Jacob Holland and another man.

Photographs were produced of them sitting together and, on a sofa, an orange handled machete could be seen.

Shortly afterwards, the jury were told, the three men met up with Ashton Holland and Heald.

Then just before 7.30am CCTV captured all five walking along Bury and Bolton Road near a broken down silver Peugeot estate car and towards the Holmans’ house. Keys to the vehicle were later found on Ashton Holland.

Ten minutes later, the jury heard, they broke into 70-year-old Mr Holman’s home.

“He had just gone downstairs into the kitchen when he heard a mighty noise coming from the front of the house,” said Mr Bassano.

“He was then shocked to see that the front door had been knocked off its hinges and several hooded intruders approached him.”

But despite one of the men wielding a machete, Mr Holman stood up to them and demanded they leave the property.

“A reasonable demand you may think,” said Mr Bassano.

“Mr Holman was then attacked with the machete. He defensively raised his arms and received blows with that weapon to both of his arms causing serious injuries.”

The raiders demanded keys to the couple’s VW Golf and Mercedes parked outside, with one of the attackers said to have told Mrs Holman: “I’m sorry, just give him the keys, he’s crazy.”

Mr Holman suffered three serious wounds to his forearms and a fractured left arm, which needed surgery.

The attackers fled but a neighbour spotted one of them running across fields and he was arrested at a nearby farm.

Ashton Holland and Heald are said to have made off in the Holmans’ Golf, but Mr Bassano said they abandoned a short distance away on Starling Road, near where the pair were caught after helping themselves to Peroni and Tia Maria from a house garage.

He added that Jacob Holland and Hamilton used the Mercedes to make their get-away and, when police recovered the vehicle, they found a machete, stained with Mr Holman’s blood, inside.

The trial continues.