Blind man uses cane to fight off intruder trying to push way into his Hastings home

Glen Thomas fought off intruders at his Hastings homes with his walking stick (cane). Photo / Warren Buckland

A partially blind man who fought off a home intruder with his cane in Hastings says he'd never considered using it as a weapon before.

Glen Thomas, 73, was alone at his Mayfair home on the night of May 14, when there was a knock at the door.

Thomas, who is almost completely blind, with macular degeneration disease, opened the door and asked who was there.

But instead of responding, a man just pushed open the door, knocking Thomas onto the floor.

"I landed on a cushion which I use as a doorstop – which was fortunate - and picked up my cane which I keep near the door," he said.

"When you're blind you have to keep things in exactly the right place, you can't just put things down as you feel free, and it was there."

The pensioner said he didn't remember getting up from the floor but must have done so quickly with his folded-up cane in his hand.

"I hit him right where a man should never want to be hit with the cane," Thomas said.

Glen Thomas suffers from macular degeneration disease, and has very poor sight - only able to see shapes and outlines. Photo / Warren Buckland

At this point Thomas, who can only see outlines of shapes, became quite agitated.

"I tried to hit him around the face and missed, but instead caught his Adam's apple which was well wrapped up because it was a cold night," he said.

The man trying to invade Thomas' property started making a "horrible grunting noise" and walked over to the gate where someone else was.

"They walked down the driveway and left, while I yelled some profanities at them," he said.

Thomas said his first thoughts were about his two teenage children, who weren't with him at the time.

"I went into protection mode for them," Thomas said. "My 17-year-old son is autistic and then I have a 14-year-old girl."

After the ordeal was over Thomas phoned the police, who came straight to the property.

"One of them was the largest policeman I've ever seen, he was probably about seven-foot. I said I'm glad it wasn't him trying to invade my home because I wouldn't have been able to stop him," he said.

Thomas said they had a bit of a laugh and a joke to lighten up the mood.

"I'm that sort of person, life is a bit of an adventure - and it's more so now since I lost my sight."

"I wasn't going to put up with someone trying to get into my home," he said. "I had no idea my cane could be used as a weapon."

Thomas said he wasn't harmed in the incident other than a light "whack on the head".

A police spokeswoman said they were making enquiries into the matter.