One man has been arrested and charges have been laid after an 84-year-old man was robbed inside his own home.

At about 3:00 in the afternoon on January 15th, a man knocked on the front door of a home on Vancouver’s west side. The homeowner answered and the man at the door provided a business card, told him he was working as a gardener in the area and that his car had been towed. The man asked if he could borrow $6.70 for bus fare. The homeowner agreed and graciously gave the man $7 telling him it was unnecessary to pay back the money.

The following day the man returned to the home and asked for $40 for another problem associated with his car. He was convincing in his story and the homeowner believed that he was sincere.

On January 17th, the man returned a third time. The homeowner had a conversation with the stranger, who was not there to pay back the money he had borrowed, but to ask for more. The homeowner felt that something was not right and stated that he had no money. When the victim went back into his house, the man followed him inside. He grabbed the wallet from the victim’s pocket and a struggle between the two ensued. The man fled with the wallet and the victim’s wife called police. Officers attended, but were not able to locate a suspect.

The struggle was quite violent and resulted in furniture knocked over, a shattered mirror, and a broken doorknob. The victim received several cuts and large bruises to his hand and torso.

Investigators obtained evidence that identified a person of interest, and on January 25th, a 54-year-old man was arrested by the Vancouver Police. John Edward Barker has been charged with possession of stolen property. The investigation is ongoing and police hope to obtain evidence to support the recommendation of additional charges. He has been released from custody until his next court appearance on March 26th in Vancouver Provincial Court.

Safety Tips

Statistics show that for most crimes, seniors are the least victimized group. Much of the crime that is directed at seniors happens while they are out of the home, such as break-ins. While these types of incidents don’t happen often, they do occur. There are certain precautions you can take to limit the chance of becoming a victim:

  • keep your doors locked at all times – if there is a knock at the door, verify the identity of the person through a peephole there before you open it
  • place a security film or Plexiglas on the inside of the window, as it increases the difficulty in breaking the glass
  • keep a phone handy – if you have a cordless one, take it to the door with you when there is knock at the door