AN 86-YEAR-OLD man was rushed to hospital after being beaten unconscious during a robbery at his home where an intruder suffered a knife wound to the stomach.

Pensioner Harry Turner was asleep at his bedsit in Torquay's Cleveland Road when he was woken up and later attacked by a man in his room.

Police have confirmed that Harry was out cold for a few minutes when he was struck several times just after 9.15pm on Monday.

Moments before this the intruder suffered a knifing injury which required treatment at Torbay Hospital — which is also where the elderly victim was taken for observations overnight.

Bay police commander Chris Singer said the injuries to the pensioner and intruder were not considered life-threatening.

He said: "This was an extremely serious incident which required a considerable response from us in terms of resources. What made this of particular concern to us was the age of the victim involved and the degree of violence used. He received only slight injuries, but he was traumatised."

Supt Singer added: "We will do all we can to make sure this inquiry is resolved satisfactorily. It's made more complex because of the injuries to two people."

He revealed that the injured intruder was put under police guard after being located at 1.30am yesterday at Torbay Hospital several hours after the Cleveland Road raid.

A second suspect, aged 18 and from Torquay, was also arrested in the hospital area in connection with the incident.

Both were expected to be quizzed late yesterday.

Items taken from the victim included a small safe and other possessions.

Detectives from Torquay CID mounted house-to-house inquiries at the break of day to see whether any residents heard or saw anything suspicious in the area the night before.

Det Insp Dave Thorne, who is heading the investigation, appealed for information from anyone who may have seen a man acting suspiciously in the Cleveland Road area between 8.30pm and 9.30pm on Monday night.

They are particularly keen to trace anyone who witnessed a man leaving an address in Cleveland Road and climbing into a blue, medium-sized family car which was in the area.

He said of the pensioner: "He's OK. He was discharged from hospital later in the afternoon. He had some bruising, but apart from that he is fine."

Neighbour Bill Pearce, 53, who has lived at Briary Court in Cleveland Road for four years said he was woken up shortly after midnight by police banging on his door.

"There were a lot of them around. They were everywhere," he said.

"Harry lives around the other side of the building, so I couldn't be further away. That is why I didn't hear anything.

"But Harry is a really nice man and he wears a hearing aid."