THE owner of Bridges Estate Agents has relived the terrifying moment a gang of four masked men broke into his house and battered him with a claw hammer before making off with cash and valuables.

Tony Raffermati (pictured after the assault) was beaten unconscious by one of the intruders who repeatedly demanded money from a safe the estate agent boss insisted did not exist at his house in White Lane, Ash Green, on the evening of Wednesday, March 13.

Having feared for his life, Mr Raffermati, 55, said he was “lucky to survive” and has shared his story in the hope that “someone, somewhere, can help identify them”.

He told the Herald: “I was on my PC in the lounge with the Liverpool v Bayern game playing on the TV.

“Suddenly, at around 8.30pm, four masked men appeared from my hallway. It appears that they entered through an upstairs window.

“The two larger assailants, one white and one black, grabbed me before I could understand what was happening and the black guy struck me on the head with what I was to learn during the rest of my 25 to 30-minute ordeal was a claw hammer.

“They were screaming ‘where is the safe? where is the safe?’. I do not have a safe. I am the chairman of Bridges Estate Agents and my business is not a cash-based enterprise.

“I said I have no safe and the second blow from the hammer came across my temple and near my eye. This blow sent me to the floor and I could sense a huge amount of blood. There is certainly a blank period that followed. It was only when I got to hospital that I felt pain in my ribs and discovered more hammer marks.

“The two smaller assailants had quickly set about ransacking the upstairs and obviously hadn’t found anything. The black guy returned and although I was still dazed it is around then I received another blow to the back of my neck.

“I was dragged upstairs while all four continued to search for the non-existent safe. When I was brought back to the lounge and sat on the floor, the black guy again held the hammer over my head and shouted ‘where’s the safe?, where’s the jewellery?’ and started counting 1….2…..3 as a countdown to striking me again.

“I was sure that one more hammer blow to my head would be the last.

“I protested that I have no safe and showed them that I was wearing no jewellery, I don’t even wear a watch. The black guy ordered the others to hold out my hands obviously to try start on them with the hammer.

“Luckily for me the larger white male decided I was telling the truth and they started to tie me up.

“It took me around five minutes to get myself free and I immediately phoned for an ambulance. My lounge was covered in blood and I knew I needed medical attention as soon as possible.”

The men made off with a large quantity of cash, keys, bank cards and an air pistol and, after Mr Raffermati was forced to surrender his pin numbers, his card was later used at a Londis store in Bracknell.

“I hope someone will come forward with a critical bit of information that might help,” he continued.

“I have no doubt this wasn’t the first time they have operated, and I fear it will not be the last unless they are quickly caught.”

Surrey Police is also appealing for witnesses following the aggravated burglary in Ash Green on March 13. All four men were wearing gloves, scarves over their faces, and one was carrying a hammer.

Anyone with information should call 101 immediately, quoting crime reference number PR/45190026789, report any sightings online at surrey.police.uk/tellusmore, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.