THE horrific pictures of dairy owner Nancy Willett's injuries were enough to make anyone think twice about going out alone late at night - especially the elderly.

Miss Willett was attacked by a stranger as she went to load the milk float at her dairy, in the Bishpool area of Newport, at 2.30am.

But thankfully such attacks are rare, and the assault statistics for Gwent do not support the fear felt by many pensioners.

What elderly people are likely to be targeted by, however, is distraction burglary.

Detective Superintendent Alun Thomas, of Gwent Police, said that of the 5,552 assaults in Gwent last year that caused actual bodily harm - such as bruising, minor cuts or a bloody nose - only 53 were against people aged over 65.

Of those 53 offences, 47 were detected and many of them were domestic incidents.

The figures for grievous bodily harm - as suffered by Miss Willett - totalled 533 last year. Of those, just five were against people over the age of 65.

Supt Thomas said: "The number of assaults against people aged 65 or over hasn't changed at all, it's still very, very low.

"Stranger violence is exceedingly rare and we take it very, very seriously.

"The other area where elderly people tend to be concerned is nuisance behaviour and disorder offences, but a lot of that is perception.

"They feel vulnerable and intimidated by groups of people rather than being targeted.

"The nature of crimes most likely to be targeted against the elderly are distraction burglaries."

Gwent community safety officer Sergeant Neil O'Connell, said there had been 24 distraction burglaries in Gwent since April, and 50 in the previous year.

He said: "The average age of a distraction burglary victim is 81, the vast majority are against people living alone and 60 per cent are against women.

"They try to steal cash and valuables by tricking their way in, typically pretending to be from a utility company.

"It's a terrible crime because although items being stolen can be distressing, a greater impact may be the stress it causes.

"It may lead to a deterioration in their health as well.

"Statistically, older people are less likely to be a victim of crime than younger people, but they tend to have more fear of crime.

"Attacks against people by complete strangers, nationally, are rare.

"For it to happen in Gwent is rarer still, and to happen to someone like Nancy is almost unheard of.

"Most people assaulted are males up to 24 years of age."