AN old soldier blinded in the Second World War challenged a teenage thug who broke into his home and threatened to kill him.

Alec Pecket, 92, was in bed when the 15-year-old yob threatened him, but the defiant Normandy veteran, who was blinded by a German bomb the day after D-Day, said: "I wasn't frightened."

The first he knew something was wrong was when he heard his front door being smashed.

He said: "I heard someone messing about with my stair lift after he'd by-passed the alarm. Then next minute he was standing in front of me in the bedroom.

"He said `Tell me where your money is or I'll kill you'. I said `you had better get on with the killing then, because I haven't got any money in the house'.

"I think he was taken aback when I said that. I had an idea he was young from his voice.

"I had got my walking stick at the side of me and was trying to get up. He said `leave that alone' and I said `b****r off'. He grabbed hold of my stick and we struggled. I thought, `if he starts, I'll crack him over the head with my stick'. I wasn't frightened."

Mr Pecket's bravery came to light as the thug who attacked him in his home at Gorton in February appeared at Manchester Crown Court.

The court heard that while the thug scrabbled in a drawer for loose change Mr Pecket set off his panic alarm. The thug grabbed Mr Pecket's Braille watch and jumped 15ft from the window when a neighbour arrived at the front door.

At the time of the attack Mr Pecket's wife of 64 years, Lillian, was in hospital. She has since died.

Mr Pecket, who has two sons, two grandsons and two great granddaughters, said: "I had no fear and I have no animosity to the lad - I just thought he was a silly sod.

"The things you see and do in the army prepare for you anything. I'm sure he would benefit from some time in the services. You learn to use your initiative."

Two hours after breaking into Mr Pecket's home, the boy smashed his way into another house. The owners were away and he stole goods including a laptop and an engraved silver hip flask.

He was arrested and Mr Pecket's watch was recovered said Martin Walsh, prosecuting.

The youth is now starting a two-year detention and training order after he admitted the two burglaries.

Judge David Hernandez said he accepted there was no evidence the boy had deliberately targeted Mr Pecket's home but he must have realised he was disabled because of the stair lift.

He told youth: "This man was in bed and you threatened him. Burglaries cause considerable distress to the householders because the privacy of their home has been violated."