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Aggravated burglary in Paddock Wood featured on Crimewatch Live

An armed raid in Paddock Wood, which left an 80-year-old woman fearing for her life after a gun was held to her head, was the focus of a Crimewatch Live episode shown today.

Detectives from Kent Police appealed on Crimewatch Live for information after Joan Stone and her partner John Miles, 78, were targeted in an aggravated burglary.

Joan Stone was sitting in this room when the masked thugs broke in
Joan Stone was sitting in this room when the masked thugs broke in

The incident took place on the evening of September 2 last year.

Two men smashed through the patio doors armed with a crowbar and a shotgun, injuring the residents, before making off with sentimental items including a ring and a watch.

The episode was aired at 11am on BBC One and one of the victims spoke about the ordeal, as police appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

In an interview with Kent Online last year, Ms Stone described how she struck with the barrel of the gun, leaving a bruise on one side of her face.

"He told me if I moved he would shoot me. When he put the shotgun to my head I thought that was the end of my life. I didn't know if it was loaded."

A pair of masked burglars broke into Joan Stone's house by shattering the patio door
A pair of masked burglars broke into Joan Stone's house by shattering the patio door

As they left, one of the thugs said: "If you ring the police we will shoot the pair of you," the former accountant recalls.

"They were here for about three or four minutes but it felt like a lifetime," Ms Stone said.

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