A home­less man was at­tacked and chopped by a ban­dit who want­ed to rob him ear­ly on Tues­day morn­ing.

Po­lice said the 57-year-old man was asleep in a bus shed along Au­drey Jef­fers High­way, at around mid­night when he was ac­cost­ed by a man hold­ing a Chi­nese chop­per who said it was a rob­bery.

When the ban­dit did not find any valu­ables, he chopped the home­less man sev­er­al times.

The home­less man flagged down passers-by, who in turn alert­ed the po­lice.

He was tak­en to the St James Med­ical Com­plex where he was treat­ed.

West­ern Di­vi­sion po­lice are con­tin­u­ing in­ves­ti­ga­tions.