Grandmother, 80, describes how adrenaline kicked in when she was confronted by knife-wielding burglar in her home

Barbara Withers, 80, was watching TV at her home in Cedar Road, Canvey, when the intruder suddenly appeared and held a knife up to her face.

Despite being threatened and grabbed by the throat, Mrs Withers insists the rush of adrenaline ensured she remained calm throughout the ordeal.

The grandmother-of-three was targeted at about 7.30pm last Monday when the break-in took place, as revealed in last week’s Echo.

Mrs Withers recalled: “I had been to the hospital to see my husband. My daughter brought me home at about 6pm, but she was unwell, so I told her to go home. She got me a takeaway and I sat in front of the TV.

“Emmerdale had just finished and the next thing I knew somebody was in front of me holding a knife and threatening me.

“He was shaking, but he grabbed me by the back of the neck, took me to my bedroom and threw me on the floor.

“He started opening all the cupboards and he found the money we had saved up for my grand-daughter’s party, which was £300.

“We had only just put the last fiver in the night before, but because I was tired I didn’t hide it away again properly.”

The burglar, described as white and in his twenties, continued to rifle through belongings in Mrs Withers’ bedroom.

She said: “He then threw me over the bed. I made out I was unconscious, but he said ‘It’s no good doing that’ and grabbed me again.

“I was trying to keep calm and I wasn’t actually frightened.

“It was strange because I’m normally quite a nervous person, even when I’m just getting on the bus, but I suppose it was the adrenaline.

“He gets pleasure out of people being frightened, and I wasn’t, so I think that threw him a bit.”

Mrs Withers suffered a cut to her elbow as she tried to push the blade away while she was being threatened.

She said: “He had the knife and at one stage I brought my arm up to get it away and it cut my elbow. It’s still quite painful, but it is not too bad.”

Police are continuing their search for the burglar, who wore a green scarf around his face and a black woollen hat,.

Witnesses can call Rayleigh CID on 101.

'How I stayed calm when burglar demanded my wedding ring'

MRS Withers stayed so calm during her ordeal she even warned the robber not to catch himself with a needle while he rifled through her sewing box.

She said: “I was speaking to him normally and I said a few things to him that he was quite surprised about.

“He tried to take my wedding ring, but my finger is swollen and I said, ‘It’s been there for 61 years and you can’t get it off’.”

The robber eventually fled with the money, at which point Mrs Withers alerted neighbours, who tried in vain to chase after the culprit.

The 80-year-old praised the emergency services for their response.

She said: “The police have been marvellous.

“They have either come to see me or phoned every day since it happened.

“The emergency department at Southend Hospital were also great and treated me well, getting me a lift home at 2am.”

Victim overwhelmed by generosity

THE generosity of islanders who organised a collection to recoup money saved for Mrs Withers’s grand-daughter has been hailed as “marvellous” by the victim.

After the Echo first reported the burglary, kind-hearted cleaning firm boss Julie Abery, 44, launched an online funding campaign.

The page, labelled Canvey Cares, has already surpassed its £300 target, with £340 collected as of Friday afternoon.

Mrs Withers had been saving the money for her grand-daughter Summer’s birthday party at the end of the month. She said: “I was told a lady is making a collection for the party, which is absolutely marvellous and I’d like to say thank you to her.

“It is so kind and shows how nice people can be. It’s all so lovely and I’d like to thank all those who donated.

“We are still trying to book a hall, but the DJ has said he won’t charge for the party, which again is lovely.”