Police in WA's South West have used DNA evidence to arrest a man who allegedly attempted to rob an elderly man in his home two months ago while wearing a devil mask.
South West Detectives said that the man wore the mask and a balaclava as he broke into the elderly man's Manjimup home in August, smashing down the front door to demand cash while wielding a replica firearm.
The elderly man suffers from dementia - and his 50-year-old carer heard the commotion and came to his aid, striking the intruder in the head and face with a tyre lever.
"He copped a good flogging," Detective Sergeant Robert Martin told the ABC.
The intruder fled but left behind a trail of blood, which allowed South West detectives to make a match and charge a 45-year-old man from Manjimup on Wednesday with attempted aggravated armed robbery and aggravated burglary.
The man is currently on remand in Bunbury Regional Prison for burglary offences, and will face court for the latest alleged incident in the Bunbury Magistrates Court on October 17.
