Widow, 89, battered to death at home in botched burglary
AN 89-year-old widow has been murdered in her home in a suspected burglary gone wrong.
Police revealed that Dorothy Woolmer, who had lived in the terraced house for more than 60 years, had ‘clearly been assaulted’ by ‘one or more suspects’.
The frail pensioner, who struggled to climb stairs, is believed to have been battered to death on a makeshift bed she was using on the ground floor of her home in Tottenham, north London.
A neighbour who regularly called in on the keen gardener made the ‘truly horrible’ discovery on Sunday morning. Another resident said: ‘A neighbour checks in on Dorothy, but hadn’t heard from her.
‘ The door was left open, so she walked in to find her still in bed.
‘ She had been sleeping downstairs because she couldn’t make it up them any more. She said it was truly horrible.’
The Metropolitan Police yesterday said a man in his 20s had been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Mrs Woolmer had been living alone since her husband Kenneth, a former Royal Navy engineer, died of cancer aged 89 in 2017.
Yesterday her brother-inlaw said the family were struggling to make sense of her death. The man, who does not want to be named, said: ‘It’s totally ridiculous, she’s 89. When we got a call to say she’s not answering the door, my wife went round there. She didn’t actually find her, a neighbour did.
‘You just can’t understand
‘She was a very pleasant lady’
it. She was my wife’s only surviving relative.’
Another relative, who also did not want to be named, said: ‘We’re in such a shock. She loved gardening and cats. She had about ten strays.’
Mrs Woolmer is the 88th murder victim in London this year, and also its oldest. Yesterday forensic teams continued to search her home, and one officer was seen removing beaded jewellery.
Last night shocked neighbours paid tribute to the ‘frail widow’. John Cerisier, 72, said: ‘It was just Dot and her husband – he died two years ago of stomach cancer.
‘They moved in after they were married. They were a very devoted couple – they didn’t have any children but they were happy.
‘It’s very sad to live to such an age and end up like that. It’s shocking what happened.’
Former RAF conscript John George, 91, who lives nearby, added: ‘I couldn’t wish for a better neighbour.
‘She was a very pleasant lady, and her husband, Ken, was a most helpful man, any time of the day.’
He added: ‘It’s an absolutely disgusting attack on an 89-year-old. You think we are all safe, but then something like this happens.
‘We don’t often see a policeman. We had a break-in two weeks ago and they stole a television and laptop. I don’t know if they are going around sussing everybody out.’
The Metropolitan Police said: ‘Officers believe one or more suspects gained entry to the woman’s house at some point between Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Officers haven’t ruled out burglary as a motive, but retain an open mind at this early stage.’
Detective Chief Inspector Garry Moncrieff said: ‘The woman had clearly been assaulted. I want to hear from anyone who saw anything suspicious.
‘Somebody locally may be aware of a friend or family member who they saw with blood stains on their clothing, or whose behaviour caused them concern.’