OAP bag snatch thug ‘should be ashamed’

THE daughter of a Hinckley pensioner who was slammed into the pavement by a violent robber said the thief should be ashamed of himself.

Beryl Clarke, aged 87, was left with a broken hip and wrist after being flung to the ground in the robbery on Westfield Avenue.

Daughter Susan Wildbore was with her mum at the time of the attack at 9pm last Tuesday (April 4) as the pair were returning from nearby shops.

Susan, 67, said: “This man must understand what he has done to my mum.

“I’m ashamed of him, to be honest.

“How could anyone push an elderly lady over like that and hurt her? It’s just disgraceful.”

The robber, dressed all in black and with a hood covering his face pushed Beryl as he snatched her bag then ran away.

People came out of a nearby house with a blanket and helped Susan and passers-by to lift Beryl out of the road, and to make her as comfortable as possible before emergency services arrived.

Leicestershire Police has urged people to help officers catch the attacker and on Wednesday carried out enquiries searching for CCTV in the area.

Susan, also from Hinckley, was ahead of her mother in a mobility scooter at the time of the attack.

She said: “I was a couple of feet ahead of my mum and he came up from behind us.

“We didn’t even hear him coming.

“I just heard my mother scream and turned around and saw a man running away with her handbag.

“She was lying in the road, saying she thought he’d broken her arm.

“She is still in hospital and is very drowsy, but she’s holding on. She has dementia and isn’t really sure what happened to her.

“Apart from that, she was in really good health.

“She loved to go for a good walk and talk to people, but I’m not sure she’ll have the confidence to do that anymore. We’ll have to wait and see.

“My dad is 93 and dementia too. has

“We’re a strong family and we’re all behind her.”

Susan said she feared for the safety of other elderly people in the area.

“I live in sheltered accommodation nearby and there’s a lot of elderly people who live there,” she said.

“This man needs to be caught before he does this to someone else and causes even more serious injury.”

Leicestershire Police has appealed for help tracing the attacker.

In a statement the force said: “Did you see this incident? Have you heard any information about someone who may have carried out this robbery?

“We’d like to hear from you as you may be able to help with our inquiries.”

Contact Leicestershire Police on 101.