Woman (86) suffers heart attack after purse is stolen
CRUEL thieves stole a purse from an elderly woman’s handbag - and the woman suffered a heart attack shortly after the incident.
The victim was in a post office in Borough Street, Castle Donington, around 10am on Saturday, September 1, and while she was distracted a woman, who was with a man, stole a purse from inside her handbag.
As soon as the victim realised that her purse had been stolen she alerted a member of staff in the premises, who attempted to apprehend the suspects but they managed to get away. It’s believed the suspects made off in a vehicle which was being driven by a third person.
Shortly after the incident the 86-yearold victim took ill and suffered a heart attack, fortunately after a week in hospital she was discharged and is recovering well at home.
Detective Constable Michael Steer, the investigating officer, said: “The victim has been through so much after suffering a heart attack and we’re pleased she is on the road to recovery.
“Our enquiries into the incident have been ongoing since it was reported and earlier this month we issued CCTV images of two people we wanted to identify in connection with this incident. Unfortunately we didn’t receive any significant leads and have now released CCTV footage of the incident in the hope it will help identify those responsible.
“The footage is of good quality and we’d ask the public to take a look and contact us if they recognise the people in the footage or have any suspicions about who they may be.
“We believe they may have links to the West Midlands area and would ask that people share this appeal far and wide.”
To view the footage, visit https:// www .youtube .com/ watch?v=s0xvBQaltHI
Anyone with any information is asked to contact DC 1917 Michael Steer on 101, quoting crime reference number 18*417277.
A 23-year-old man from Birmingham has been arrested in connection with the incident. He has since been released under investigation.