Kings Heath man stabbed by burglar tells of ordeal

Aug 26 2009 EXCLUSIVE By Mark Cowan

Seeing a silhouette in the kitchen, he shouted out. One of the burglars then punched him in the face and as they fought, the second came from behind and stabbed him twice.

The weapon, possibly as long as 10cm, narrowly missed his kidney.

“I didn’t even know he was there,” said Mr Rarko, who manages a Birmingham city centre restaurant.

“The first time he stabbed me I thought I had just been hit, but the second I felt the knife enter my body and I knew I’d been stabbed. I thought I would get killed so I let go.

“At first I didn’t feel the pain, for me it was the distress and fear for my wife being alone upstairs with someone in our house.

“After they escaped, I was shouting my wife’s name.

“I was bleeding heavily, I crawled towards the phone to dial 999. I was pressing on my wound trying to stop the bleeding.”

He added: “I feel really lucky to be alive. You would think that when people come to rob your house they are only there to take your stuff not to go as far as kill someone.”

Still recovering from his injuries in hospital, Mr Rarko, said he was relieved that Adam was not in the house at the time after being taken by his grandfather for a holiday to their homeland of Slovakia.

It is thought the burglars may have sneaked into the property through an open window.

Det Insp Jim Foy, from Kings Heath CID, appealed for witnesses or to come forward adding: “This kind of burglary is extremely rare.”

Witnesses or anyone with information should contact police at Kings Heath on 0845 113 5000 or the anonymous Crimestoppers hotline on 0800 555111.