Burglar beat widow, 84, to death after she left door open in heatwave

AN ELDERLY woman was beaten to death after she left her front door open in last week’s heatwave.

Joyce Burgess, 84, died yesterday, three days after being brutally attacked by the thief, who snatched her handbag containing less than £100.

The widowed mother-of-one was conned by an intruder who appeared at the gated driveway of her £450,000 detached home in Woking, Surrey, asking for a glass of water in the sweltering heat.

Mrs Burgess, who was described by neighbours as a ‘lovely, sweet and kind lady’, let the man in at 5.30pm on Saturday, when many were celebrating England’s World Cup win over Sweden.

Seconds after stepping into her home, her beat her around the face, arms and chest as he tried to grab her handbag lying by the front door.

The burglar then fled with the bag, which contained only a small amount of cash and some personal items, leaving his victim on the floor with serious injuries.

Her distraught niece wrote on Facebook: ‘It is with great sadness that my auntie who was attacked on Saturday has now died.’

Last night a relative said the family believed she would recover: ‘We were told the bleeding had stopped ... it was such a shock when we heard she had died.

‘I heard someone knocked on one of Joyce’s neighbour’s houses, but they didn’t answer.’

She said a white van, believed to be the suspect’s, was seen in the area, and that a ‘ burnt out handbag’ was later found and given to police. Horrified neighbours said the pensioner, who lived alone, had heart and mobility problems and could not fight back.

Laurelei Dudley, 47, said she was a ‘kind and sweet’ woman who ‘was no threat to anyone’.

‘I can’t imagine anyone hurting her,’ Miss Dudley said. ‘ She was very frail and ... had recently got a mobility scooter.

‘I’m just absolutely disgusted – there’s a special place in hell for people like that.’

Sourabh Sachdeva, who lives across the road, said: ‘ The police called over that day and asked if we had seen a white van or anyone in the area ... We usually would have, but everyone was inside watching the football.’

Surrey Police are trying to trace the van used by the suspect, who they described as white, slim, and around 6ft tall with brown hair.

Superintendent Graham Barnett said: ‘This was a violent attack on an elderly lady in her own home.

‘We believe she may have been targeted by an opportunistic burglar who took advantage of her front door being open.’

He added: ‘Mrs Burgess’s death has come as a huge shock to her family and friends as, although she suffered serious injuries, she was showing positive signs of recovery and was talking in hospital.’

‘Absolutely disgusted’