Arrest over Taunton D-Day veteran claw hammer attack

Jim Booth was attacked on Wednesday by a cold caller asking if he needed work doing to his house

A man has been arrested after a 96-year-old D-Day veteran was attacked with a claw hammer in a suspected distraction burglary in Somerset.

Jim Booth was attacked on Wednesday by a cold caller asking if he needed any work doing to his house in Taunton.

When he refused, he was assaulted. His condition has been described as serious but stable.

A 39-year-old man is being held on suspicion on attempted murder and aggravated burglary.

Following the attack, Mr Booth raised the alarm with his neighbours who phoned an ambulance and he was taken to hospital.

Avon and Somerset Police said it was not yet clear if anything had been taken from the house but officers were treating the attack as part of a distraction burglary.

During World War Two, Mr Booth was part of a top-secret team of submariners who slipped into the waters off Normandy to scout the beaches.

Mr Booth has two sons and two daughters.