A DISABLED man has spoken of the night he wrestled a gunman out of his house after the intruder threatened his wife.

Richard Stanleywas at home in Wells Gardens, Basildon, with his wife when a man knocked on the front door, saying his car had broken down and he needed to use the phone.

As his wife walked inside, the man followed and pulled out a pistol. The intruder demanded money and Mr Stanley, 50, went to fetch his wallet.

However, he changed his mind and reacted agrily when the man pointed the gun at his wife’s head.

Despite his mobility problems, Mr Stanley fought the robber and bundled him out of the house.

The gunman fired two shots towards Mr Stanley as he stood inside the hallway, then three more shots in the street before running off.

Mr Stanley said: “He could have just had my wallet, but when I saw him aiming the gun at my wife, the adrenaline just kicked in.

“I normally have to hobble just to get to the toilet, but I managed to wrestle him out of the house.

“I thought he was going to kill me when I heard the gunshots, but as soon as I noticed I hadn’t been hit, I started to think it wasn’t a real gun.

“It scares me this man is still out there on the loose, but I hope the fact he got beaten by a cripple will stop him doing this again.” Police believe the weapon was a gas-powered BB gun.

The shaken couple, who are having difficulty sleeping after the attack, at about 11pm on Tuesday, are now putting up CCTV cameras.

They are also urging others to be extra cautious of strangers knocking on their doors late at night.

Mr Stanley’s wife said: “I thought it was one of my neighbours who needed help.

“I should have shut the door behind me when I went inside to get Richard, but I didn't think. You never know how you would react in that situation.

“We want to stop other people having to go through what we went through. Next time, it could be an elderly person who lives on their own.”

The gunman was aged between 40 and 50, white, between 5ft 8ins and 5ft 11ins tall and wore a light-blue hooded top.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Basildon CID on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.