A BOLTON vicar has hit out after his wife was threatened and robbed in their own home . . . the fifth attack the family has suffered in less than five months.

The Rev Andie Brown, Vicar of St Luke's Church on Chorley Old Road, spoke out after a raider broke into the family home while his two young children were upstairs in bed and stole money from his terrified wife.

Mr Brown, who moved to Bolton in January this year from a deprived inner city parish elsewhere in Greater Manchester, expressed his concern and anger over the latest attack.

His wife, Jane, was at home with the couple's two youngest daughters, aged eight and four, when she was confronted by a man in the lounge at around 9.30pm on Saturday. Her husband had taken the couple's eldest daughter to a concert at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester.

After grabbing Mrs Brown and threatening her, the man, who is believed to have forced his way in through the front door, demanded cash from his terrified victim.

Mrs Brown was worried for the safety of her two daughters, one of whom she knew was awake, and handed over her purse containing £20.

"Unfortunately my eight-year-old daughter heard the threats made against my wife and is obviously terribly upset about the whole thing. My wife herself is very, very shaken," said Mr Brown. "We have been in Bolton less than five months and in that time, we have had our car broken into twice, stolen once and the garage broken into and all our bikes stolen. We lived and worked in one of the most deprived parishes in Greater Manchester for 10 years and until this last year we have never encountered such violence, such crime.

"The whole episode has shaken us to the very core. It is such a terrible shame.

"The people of this town are tremendous and have made us so very welcome since day one. But everything is being made so very much harder for us by these attacks." Police investigating the incident describe Mrs Brown's attacker as being white, aged between 29-30, about five foot six, with short dark hair, stockily built and wearing a light coloured jacket.

A police spokesman said: "Fortunately this lady was not injured but is obviously shaken and very upset by the incident."

Mr Brown said: "We feel there is no alternative for us other than to instigate a complete security review around the church and the vicarage.

"It's very sad that it has come to this but we feel there is very little choice."

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