By Terence Dooley
Knife-wielding Gregory McCalium, 24, got more than he bargained for when breaking into the house of pensioner Frank Corti, 72. Corti used to be a boxer; he sidestepped McCalium’s knife attack, and then knocked out the young intruder with a pair of right hooks.
Corti said he had no choice but to defend himself after McCalium, a cocktail waiter who lives a few doors away from Mr Corti, broke into his home. Corti was concerned about the welfare of his wife, who was upstairs at the time of the incident.
Corti, who lives in Botley, Oxford, had rowed with McCalium over noise pollution issues. Upon returning home from a party the younger man broke into the Corti family home, McCalium was confronted by the OAP, and he responded by throwing a knife at Corti, who skipped to one side before hammering his young assailant. Corti then made a citizen’s arrest, keeping his attacker restrained until the police arrived.
Corti told the Oxford Mail that he had no option but to let fly at the intruder. “I had to restrain him before he could go and get the knife back,” said Corti. “I was scared when he first threw the knife, but most people would have acted in the same way. If you can't defend what's yours, where are we at?”
The attack took place on August 19th of last year; McCalium was recently sentenced to four-and-a-half-years in prison. Detective Constable Jon Shaw applauded the sentence. “The elderly man, who at the time was at home with his wife, was able to subdue the man until the police arrived,” he explained. “Fortunately no one was more injured in this incident but this was still a terrifying situation and McCalium must now pay for his actions.”
Corti boxed as a featherweight in the 1950's. He thought his boxing career was behind him, until he bumped into this cowardly intruder. Arrest photos of McCalium were released yesterday, showing how heavily bruised and battered he was after the assault. Boxing fans have come out in tribute to Mr Corti over the past few days; although a little rusty, the pensioner proved that power is the last thing a boxer loses.
Claims that Audley Harrison is trying to line up Corti as a comeback opponent have been denied.
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