Llandudno grandmother 'feared she'd be murdered' after finding intruder asleep on her sofa

An 82-year-old woman told of her shock after waking to find an intruder asleep on her sofa in a flagship sheltered accommodation.

Terrified grandmother-of-five Mamie Thelwell, who is on a waiting list for a heart operation, feared she could have been “murdered or stabbed” when she discovered the man in her flat on Palm Sunday.

Cartrefi Conwy, which runs Cysgod y Gogarth, Trinity Avenue, Llandudno, yesterday admitted a “serious lapse in security” and blamed a faulty latch for allowing the man into the complex.

Mrs Thelwell said: “When I got up I spotted that the light in the kitchen was on as was the telly and then my eyes saw this black apparition on the sofa.

“There was a man dressed all in black with fair hair lost to the world on my sofa.

“I put my hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming and crept past to speak to my friend next door. We phoned the police.”

The police arrived in minutes and questioned the man, who said he had got drunk and was told by a friend he could sleep there.

Mrs Thelwell, a former lab assistant with two daughters, added: “He obviously got the wrong place but I’m still wondering how on earth he managed to get into the building.

“Stupidly I’d left my front door unlocked.

“I’m glad in a way it happened to me as other residents are very frail here some are in wheelchairs.

“And even though this man may have been harmless it has left me feeling very vulnerable and I needed tranquillisers from the doctor.”

Mamie added: “My daughter has had to stay over and other residents are feeling very scared.”

A Cartrefi Conwy spokesman said: “The safety and well-being of our tenants is always our paramount concern and we have apologised to Mrs Thelwell for this serious lapse in security which fell below our usually high standards.

“The problem was caused by a faulty latch mechanism which enabled the young man in question to gain entry into the building via the scooter store.

“The mechanism has been fixed and the building is once again completely secure.”

A North Wales Police spokeswoman said: “The matter has been fully investigated and it has been found that no criminal offence has been committed.

“However officers are working with partner agencies in a bid to establish how the male gained entry into the property and to ensure that the same thing does not happen again.”

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