95-year-old held on suspicion of murdering woman carer, 61

A DEMENTIA sufferer aged 95 was arrested yesterday on suspicion of murdering his carer.

The elderly man is suspected of attacking the 61-year- old woman at his flat in the early hours of Thursday.

She was taken to hospital with a head wound but died from her injuries yesterday.

Police said that her patient had been arrested on suspicion of murder before being taken to hospital himself due to a ‘preexisting condition’.

A spokesman said he would remain there while his ‘complex health and care needs’ are met.

Unusually, he has been released on bail. The attack took place at a local authority flat in Holloway, North London.

Neighbours said the owner, a man originally from Morocco, had lived there with his elderly wife for more than 20 years.

He is believed to be the oldest murder suspect ever arrested in the UK. The man is thought to have a large family, including several grandchildren who all live in the capital. One resident said the man suffered dementia, was extremely frail and could not leave the property without help.

‘I haven’t spoken to him for two years,’ she said. ‘My son saw him go to hospital almost every day in a non-emergency ambulance. ‘He is very frail and could not get down the stairs. It was so quiet. It was as if no one lived there.’ A police van remained outside the flat yesterday and neighbours said forensic experts had been inside.

The victim worked for London Care’s Islington branch. Last night a spokesman said: ‘We were devastated that a member of our care team has died in hospital after paramedics were called to the home of one of our customers overnight.

‘The cause of death has not yet been confirmed to us and we are assisting the police while their investigations are ongoing.

‘Our thoughts are with the care worker’s family and friends as they deal with this tragic news.’

Another neighbour, who has lived in the block for ten years, said the man was rarely seen outside since he and his wife fell ill. The woman, who did not want to be named, said the elderly man would normally have a carer looking after him, and that he was occasionally visited by family.

‘It’s a surprise. They are a very good family,’ she said.

‘I don’t know what’s happened. I was coming home from work and saw police upstairs. Another neighbour heard a scream at about 4am, but I didn’t.’

A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed a murder investigation had begun. He said: ‘Police were called at approximately 7.10am on Thursday to a North London hospital where a 61-yearold woman was admitted suffering from head injuries.

‘She died in hospital at 10.57am on Friday, May 25. Her next of kin have been informed. A postmortem examination will take place in due course.

‘At this early stage it is believed that her injuries were sustained at a residential address in Islington where she was working as a carer.

‘A 95-year- old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He has been taken to hospital as a precaution due to a pre-existing condition where he will remain pending transfer to a location where his complex health and care needs can be managed.’

London Ambulance Service said that it was called to the property on Thursday at 4.15am and sent two crews.

A spokesman said. ‘ We treated one person at the scene and took them to hospital as a priority.’