A 79-year-old Gold Coast man is recovering after a brutal home invasion in which he was repeatedly struck with a golf club while sitting in his own living room.
Retiree Rex Nordstrom was resting in his recliner at his Bacardi Court home in Mermaid Waters when four masked intruders allegedly climbed the fence and forced their way inside in the early hours of Tuesday morning, shortly after 1.30am.
According to Nordstrom, the attack was sudden and violent.
“The bloke walked in, hit me first. First word was ‘money’,” he said. “I stood up and said, ‘no money’, and then I got whacked again.”
The offenders, who were wearing face coverings, allegedly assaulted Nordstrom multiple times to the head with a golf club and later threatened him with a knife taken from his kitchen. The entire ordeal lasted less than a minute, but left the elderly man with serious injuries.
Nordstrom’s wife, Trish, was upstairs at the time and heard the attack unfolding below.
“Chaotic, hectic,” she said, describing the 30-second assault.
Emergency services were called and Nordstrom was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital, where he underwent three hours of surgery for head and facial injuries. Doctors told him the injuries came dangerously close to costing him an eye.
“The surgeon said if it had been half an inch further, I would have lost the eyeball,” Nordstrom said. “It would have been game over.”
Blood stains were left throughout the home, which police declared a crime scene. Investigators say the intruders stole Nordstrom’s wallet and fled in the couple’s red 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA, a birthday gift Trish received from her husband several years ago.
The offenders are believed to have continued their crime spree after leaving the property and remain on the run. Queensland Police have released CCTV footage showing three men climbing over a fence in socks before the break-in and are appealing for public assistance to locate the stolen vehicle.
Despite the severity of the attack, Nordstrom has maintained his sense of humour, even taking a swipe at his attacker.
“His golf swing’s terrible,” he said. “Good for a burglar, no good for a golfer.”
However, the couple’s resolve has not been shaken. They say they have no plans to move from the home where the attack occurred.
“I just hope they catch these blokes,” Nordstrom said.
Police are urging anyone who sees a red 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA with Queensland registration plates TRN000, or who has information about the home invasion, to contact Crime Stoppers.
The incident has renewed concerns about violent home invasions targeting elderly residents, as police continue to search for those responsible for the attack that left a grandfather seriously injured in his own home.
