George Roscoe, 91, tripped and smashed his face on the pavement when he went out to confront schoolgirls throwing apples at his house (Picture: Cascade News)

A war veteran was left bloodied and bruised after he confronted schoolgirls who were throwing apples at his house.�?

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George Roscoe, 91, went out to confront the teenagers but tripped and smashed his face on the pavement.

The former Royal Artillery man, who served in India from 1945 to 1947, suffered two broken ribs, a gashed head, a bleeding leg and severe bruising to his arm and body.

His wife, Dorothy, also 91, said: ‘I thought he’d had it. I couldn’t stop shaking.’

Luckily George was found by two passers-by who called an ambulance.

The former Royal Artillery man suffered two broken ribs, a gashed head, a bleeding leg and severe bruising to his arm and body. (Picture: Cascade)

He was rushed to Bolton Infirmary and was allowed home a few hours later but has still not ventured out as he doesn’t want to scare children with his horrific injuries.

His granddaughter Lisa Gerrard was so appalled that she posted a Facebook photo of George sporting a huge black eye – and it went viral with 23,470 shares and 7,000 comments condemning the youngsters.

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George said: ‘That’s how kids act these days. The find someone to torment. But when they’re 14 and 15, you’d think they had something better to do.

‘It was two girls. I had seen a lad with them before. They had been doing it all week. They were throwing big apples and stones at the window.’

The couple, who have two children, three grandchildren and six great grandchildren, stood up to the teens after suffering days of anti-social abuse at their house in Little Lever, Greater Manchester.

George is too scared to go out of the house now(Picture: Cascade)

Dorothy went out first after hearing several loud bangs. She said: ‘I said to them “have you not got anything better to do than throw apples and torment people”.

‘The bigger girl just smirked at me. I came back in and told George not to bother going out.’

But George was fed up with the constant attacks and got up from watching TV and went out to face their tormentors.

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He said: ‘I just went to the front door and told them to clear off. I didn’t want to be sat in the house all day waiting for the window to break. I don’t remember falling, it’s all still a bit hazy. But I remember the ambulance coming.’

The two girls fled but luckily a couple walking past found George with blood pouring from his head and called for an ambulance.

Dorothy added: ‘I didn’t know he had gone outside. I presumed he had gone upstairs and wasn’t bothered.

George served in India from 1945 to 1947 (Picture: Cascade)

‘A young couple were passing and they knocked on the door and said ‘your husband is on the floor’. I thought he’s had it. I was shaking, thinking all sorts.’

Granddaughter Lisa Gerrard, 39, is stunned by the reaction to her Facebook post including a message from a woman from flood-hit Texas.

She said: ‘It is shocking that they were girls, they showed no empathy. We all used to play knock a door run when we were kids, but they’ve taken it step further by throwing stones and goading old people.’

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