A 75-year-old cancer victim suffered horrific injuries after he was brutally attacked in his own home.
Former soldier James Clunes was left bruised, bleeding from a knife wound and with a fractured cheekbone after two men allegedly forced their way into his flat.
The three-time cancer survivor had just returned to his home after a night at the bingo when the attack happened.
Police have arrested and charged one man in connection with the incident, which happened on Saturday night at Aberdeen’s Bayview Court, but they are still hunting a second.
James’ 61-year-old brother Stephen said he was horrified when he saw the extent of his brother’s injuries.
He said: “James suffered a broken nose and a fractured cheekbone. He’s badly bruised about the body.”
He said that his brother, a former colour sergeant who served in the Scots Guards for 30 years, was assaulted at around 10pm on June 25.
For more than a decade, James has been battling tongue, mouth and throat cancer.
Damage done by chemotherapy and radiotherapy has left him struggling to talk with breathing difficulties and unable to swallow.
James eats and drinks through a tube in his stomach, known as a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG).
Stephen said: “Although James was in the army for 30 years and was more than able to look after himself, the cancer has taken its toll on his body, so, he’s quite a frail person now.
“I am having doubts about him going back and living by himself just now. I might start the process of applying for James to get rehoused.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “A 28-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with an assault and robbery on a 75-year-old man in Bayview Court, Aberdeen on Saturday June 25.
“The elderly man was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and later released.”
Miguel Meyler, 28, from the Aberdeen area, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on charges of hamesucken, abduction, assault to injury, permanent disfigurement and robbery.
He made no plea, was committed for further examination and released on bail to re-appear in court on a date to be confirmed.
Police enquiries to trace the second man remain ongoing.
