Widow, 100, has her neck broken by thug as she walks to church

A WIDOW aged 100 was in hospital with a broken neck last night after being mugged as she walked to church.

Sophia Kaczan was left covered in blood and with a fractured cheekbone after being thrown to the pavement as the thug grabbed her green imitation leather bag from behind.

Incredibly, the ‘resilient’ pensioner managed to stumble to her church, still clutching one of the bag’s gold straps.

Last night neighbours said they feared that Mrs Kaczan could have had as much as £1,000 in the bag because she had a big electricity bill to pay and did not like leaving money in the house.

The former factory worker, ‘Resilient’: Sophia Kaczan known as Sophie by friends, had moved from Poland to the UK with husband Micoli after the Second World War.

She was attacked moments after leaving her semi-detached home in Derby to attend a service at nearby St Maksymilian Kolbe Polish Church.

Neighbours Stacia and Gary Fitzsimmons said Mrs Kaczan’s bag was later found dumped, with the utility bill for about £900 still in it.

Mrs Fitzsimmons, 55, added: ‘Whoever has done this is absolutely vile. Sophie walked that route to church every day so it is possible she has been watched. I’m really, really upset by this. Sophie is like part of our family.’

Derbyshire police said her injuries were not considered life-threatening and appealed for witnesses.

Mrs Kaczan, a devout Catholic, celebrated her centenary with a party at her home earlier this month, where she showed off a certificate from the Pope marking the milestone.

Mr Fitzsimmons, 62, said Mrs Kaczan, who used to worked at Courtaulds textile factory in nearby Spondon, was mugged in almost identical circumstances around eight years ago.

he added: ‘We’re sure she’ll have had money in the bag as she was paranoid about somebody coming in to the house stealing things.

‘Sophie is very resilient – a result of her wartime experiences, I think. She often talked about being taken from her home by the Nazis and put to work in a factory. She was glad to move to the UK.’

her husband’s wartime service with a Polish regiment won him the right to settle in the UK. he worked at the Rolls-Royce factory in Derby, but died a decade ago. The couple did not have any children.

Detective Sergeant Laura Kershaw said: ‘This is a particularly nasty incident.’

‘A particularly nasty incident’