An elderly man was forced to play dead after intruders threatened him with a gun in his Sydney home this week.
Baker Dimos Scoullis, 81, and his wife Vicky, 76, were asleep when the intruders broke into their Carlton home in Sydney’s south-west at about 11pm on Tuesday where they were assaulted, threatened and ransacked.
New South Wales (NSW) Police told television media that Vicky was sleeping on the couch when three masked men armed with guns broke into the older couple’s home by smashing through the front door.
She was restrained there and assaulted by one of the intruders while the remaining two went upstairs to where Dimos was sleeping in his bedroom. They physically assaulted him and put a gun to his head, demanding he hand over money.
So scared by the incident, Dimos pretended they had killed him in an attempt to scare off the intruders – a tactic that worked. The intruders fled the scene with a small amount of cash, a safe and the couple’s Toyota Camry sedan.
The intruders allegedly made it only about 15 meters up the road before they crashed it because they didn’t know how to drive a manual and continued to flee on foot.
The family built their popular bakery, Hellenic Patisserie and Gelato Bar in 1977 from scratch which has become a local favourite.
It is alleged that while the couple doesn’t believe they know the intruders, police think their home wasn’t picked at random and that it was a targeted home invasion due to their bakery’s success.
“This is the scenario that nightmares are made of,” St George Police Commander, Rohan Cramsie said. “You can only imagine how horrifying and terrifying it must have been for that elderly couple.” The couple’s son, George, said his dad did what he had to do to keep them safe.
“Mum, mentally she is struggling a bit but physically she is okay,” he told reporters. “Dad is the opposite, he is more physical, he has been hurt but mentally he is one of those old tough guys.”
Police said Dimos was treated at the scene by paramedics for minor injuries before being taken to St George Hospital in a stable condition. Vicky was also taken to hospital as a precaution but has since returned home.
Police are investigating the incident and are urging anyone with information to come forward as they search for the three intruders.
