D-Day veteran who was nearly killed by hammer-wielding thug travels to Normandy for 75th anniversary
A D-Day veteran who was nearly killed during a brutal attack in his home has travelled to Normandy to attend the 75th anniversary commemorations.
Jim Booth, 96, was “left for dead” by Joseph Isaacs, 40, following the assault at his home in Taunton, Somerset, in November 2017.
But nearly two years later he was pictured at the commemorations in Portsmouth - before heading to Normandy to mark the occasion on D-Day.
Great-grandfather Mr Booth is spent five days in a submarine with nine other men as they guided Allied craft to Sword Beach before the D-Day invasion.
They travelled across the mine-filled English Channel to spy on the beaches of Normandy.
The attack on him in 2017 saw Isaacs, who was jailed for 20 years for attempted murder, offer to fix Mr Booth’s bungalow roof before becoming aggressive when the pensioner declined.
Read more from Yahoo News UK:
Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd jailed after admitting attack on barman
Body of missing British tourist found floating in water in Ibiza
D-Day veterans parachute into Normandy 75 years after invasion
Armed with a claw hammer, Isaacs shouted: “Money, money, money,” before he attacked the war veteran, who was involved in a secret operation in the D-Day landings.
Mr Booth was “left for dead,” unconscious and lying in a pool of his own blood on the floor of his home.
The heartless burglar then went to Burger King at a service station on the M5 in Bridgwater, Somerset, before stopping off at a McDonald’s the next morning.
Medics initially believed Mr Booth’s injuries were life-threatening and his family were warned to prepare for the worst after the attack.
When interviewed by police, Mr Booth recalled being surprised the hammer looked “shiny and new” as he thought a workman's hammer would be worn.
The brave pensioner initially did not believe he has lost consciousness after the attack, but did not recall his wallet being taken.
He managed to make his way to a neighbour's house nearby, bleeding from his head and hands, before being treated by paramedics.
