"I got the bat and just started swinging; I focused on the skull because I just wanted him to go unconscious, but you Irish people have thick skulls because he would not go unconscious," she told the Sunday Tribune from her US home.

"I honestly think I must have hit him about 100 times. I think he will probably suffer from headaches for the rest of his life."

The violent robbery in July last year resulted in Miskelly receiving serious head wounds during a fight that left the Angevine's bedroom covered in blood.

But they say they bear no ill will toward the opportunist raider, instead blaming another man for masterminding the whole event.

"My husband and I didn't feel like we were victims because there was only about one and a half minutes when we didn't feel like we were in control," she said.

Miskelly entered the house at around 1.15am and his movements woke the sleeping couple.

"I said there's someone in here and at that point Christopher began shouting, 'Get up, ge

DIFFICULT SITUATION IT SEEMS UNREAL TO HIT SOMEONE 100 TIMES AND BE HAPPY WITH YOURSELF,BOTH PARTIES GOT AWAY LUCKY ENDING IN A FARCICAL OUTCOME EXCEPT EIGHT AND A HALF YEARS IS A PRETTY STEEP REMINDER.