Pensioner uses walking stick to fight off raiders Mrs Holding forced two of the men out of the back door and pursued a third, who ran upstairs and started rifling through their bedroom. She again used her walking stick to force the man out of her house. All three men fled empty-handed. Another man who was acting as a lookout in the garden also ran off. Mrs Holding said: "We had left the back door open as our nephew might have popped in, but when we heard a noise and called out there was no answer. When we went out to the hall we saw the men. They were trying to claim someone was hiding under the bed or behind the wardrobe but I said, 'That's impossible. I said, 'Get out now, get out now before I hit you. "He was saying, 'Don't hit me, don't hit me, don't hit me," and I was saying, 'I'm going to hit you, I'm going to hit you, I'm going to hit you." I didn't want to hit him because I was worried what the other would do to my husband, otherwise I would definitely have hit him. The men were very threatening and I am convinced if I hadn't done anything they would have hurt myself and my husband. Luckily they left through the back door. I attacked the men to protect my poorly husband, who needs oxygen 15 hours a day. I'd do it again if they came back. I just wanted them out and I got them out. Police are hunting three men who are described as white and in their early 20s. Two are thought to have Irish accents. All were wearing dark clothing.