A HARROW pensioner has been left with horrific injuries after being viciously beaten-up in a brutal car-jacking on Saturday.

Frail Claude Colenso, who is known as 'Jeff', of Kelvin Crescent, Harrow Weald, is recovering in hospital this week, following the attack, which left him with a shattered shoulder blade, an arm broken in three places and a fractured cheekbone.

The 76 year-old was ambushed in broad daylight when he went to collect a prescription for his sick wife Olivia. As he walked to the chemist in Weald Lane, at 12.40pm, he noticed a man loitering nearby.

After exciting the pharmacy, he saw the same man shaking a door to the medical centre. Mr Colenso walked to his car and put the medication into the boot.

As he went to the driver side, the man he had seen earlier suddenly rushed at him from behind, viciously hitting him on the left side of his face and demanded that he hand over his car keys.

Paralysed with fear, the terrifiedpensioner froze as the man began to rain blows on him, knocking him to the ground. He then knelt beside him and continued hitting him in the face and body.

The thug then callously snatched the car keys from the barely-conscious pensioner, got into the vehicle and sped-off in the direction of the High Street.

A passer-by found Mr Colenso lying in the street and called an ambulance and the police. He was then rushed to Northwick Park Hospital for treatment.

He was released early on Sunday morning but had to re-admitted on Monday when specialists discovered that his shattered shoulder blade is un-repairable. Medics say that even with a replacement, he is unlikely to ever regain full use of his arm.

His distraught wife Olive, 78, told the Times: "I want the man responsible caught before he does this again. What kind of terrible person must he be if he can do this to a defenceless old man who wouldn't hurt a fly?

DC Pete Smith from Harrow police, who is investigating the assault, added: "This was a totally unprovoked attack on a defenceless elderly man in broad daylight. Excessive violence was used resulting in serious injuries to Mr Colenso."

The suspect is black, in his late teens, early twenties, 5ft 9ins to 5ft 10ins tall, skinny to slim build, very clean shaven with a thin face. He was wearing a light charcoal grey baseball cap, dark bomber jacket, dark bottoms and light trainers.

If anyone has any information then please contact Harrow CID on 020 8733 3432 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

January 30, 2003 10:00