THE wife of Barnehurst man Edward Syrad, who died after two masked men raided his home, has described the horrifying moment she was held at gunpoint.

Gezim Delijah, of Leyton, east London, today went on trial at the Old Bailey accused of breaking into the Syrads’ bungalow in Edendale Road on January 25 last year and killing 64-year-old Mr Syrad.

His widow Anne, 62, this afternoon fought back tears to recall how two balaclava-clad men burst into her bedroom while she was in bed watching television.

She told the jury: "I was just watching Big Brother and then the door opened a little bit and there was a man standing there.

"I immediately thought it was Ted. I don't know why. I said to him 'what are you doing?' It looked very dark. He had something on his head.

"The next thing I know he just jumped on me. I said 'Ted get off'. I know it's silly.

"I then realised it wasn't him and he pushed me to the floor. I was sitting on the floor.

"He put his hand over my face. I shouted, I shouted for Ted."

Mrs Syrad broke her nails and lost her glasses as she tried to fend off the intruder, who has never been caught, described as having an Irish accent.

She told the court: "I struggled to start with. I was shouting for Ted but you just don't know what's happening. He said to me 'I want your money'.”

A second man, described as having as eastern European accent and claimed by the prosecution to be Delijah, came in to her bedroom and helped wrap a reel of tape around her hands, legs and face.

The "Irish man" began ransacking the wardrobe drawers looking for envelopes of cash which Mrs Syrad stored for her husband because he had retired, the court heard.

Mrs Syrad said the second man then stormed into the room and threatened her with what she believed to be gun.

She told the court: "He kneels down on the floor and shows me the key and says 'I found the safe and this doesn't fit. If the next one you give me does not fit, I will kill you.'"

Mrs Syrad, who runs property business JAB Properties with her two older brothers across Lewisham and Greenwich, said around £7,000 in cash was stolen from the safe in their garage and a further £1,000 from the bedroom.

The man is then said to have showed her the gun and she responded by saying "I don't deal with the safe, my husband deals with that."

This morning the court heard how the two intruders fled before Mrs Syrad found her husband’s lifeless body on the floor of the conservatory.

The prosecution say he was tied up and kicked and punched before he suffered heart failure and was pronounced dead at the scene at 10.35pm.

Albanian Delijah, 41, denies manslaughter, robbery and possessing an imitation firearm with intent.

The trial is expected to last two weeks.

Trial continues.