Woman tied-up and robbed by masked burglars

The shocking incident happened, at her Station Road home last Thursday morning.

She was upstairs and went down to investigate after hearing noises and was confronted by two men - one who had his face masked by a black balaclava.

They demanded to know where the safe was and when she told them that she did not even own a safe she was tied up in her bedroom while they ransacked her home.

They made off with valuables, including her stamp collection, which contained rare Penny Blacks.

She was tied up for around thirty minutes but managed to escape from her bonds and raise the alarm.

Police have launched an urgent appeal to track down the two men who are described a as white and in their late 20’s. One was wearing a balaclava and the other a woollen hat, and both were in dark clothing.

Detective Constable Jay Mendis from East Sussex CID said: “This is a deplorable and bold crime against a defenceless victim. We need to trace those responsible as soon as possible. I would appeal to anyone who was in Station Road on that morning and saw anything suspicious to please call us immediately.

“I would also like to appeal to any stamp collectors in the area to please get in touch if they are offered a collection of stamps that include Penny Reds and Penny Blacks for sale.”

The incident happened with a day of a 64 year man dying after being tied up by burglars in his South London home in similar circumstances.

A police spokesman said: “The terror of someone coming into your own home, subjecting you to that type of crime, is bad enough. But the bigger implications are the fear that it causes in the community.”

If you have any information that could help police with the investigation please call 101 quoting serial 0461 of 26/1 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.