Widow, 83, died after burglars stole life savings
AN ELDERLY widow died days after she was the victim of a terrifying burglary in the home where she had lived most of her life.
Betsy Malpass, 83, was forced into a chair as four men who tricked their way in by pretending to be from a water company ransacked her home and stole her life savings.
And when she told one of the intruders she thought she was having a heart attack, he put her phone in a sink and ran the tap so she would not be able to call emergency services.
The robbery happened on February 8 at around 3pm, when Mrs Malpass was at home in Kate’s Hill, Dudley, in the West Midlands.
Neighbours spoke of their distress yesterday at the death of the former factory worker, who was also called Betty and was well known in the area. Adil Khan, a carer, said: ‘It is really sad Betty was burgled and then passed away afterwards. People are just losing their principles and morals – they have no shame. She was very vulnerable. The shock of the burglary must have been terrible.
‘She was definitely targeted – they knew she was old.’
Another neighbour, who was friends with her son, said: ‘ Many people have been broken into and there are so many drug dealers around – it needs cleaning up. A lot of people on the estate are really mad about it. Betty was really friendly and hardworking.’
Mrs Malpass was taken to hospital the weekend after the burglary and died three days later. More than two months on there have been no arrests, despite a major police investigation.
The Crimestoppers charity is now offering a £5,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction. Spokesman Gary Murray said: ‘Everyone has the right to feel safe from crime, whether it’s in the workplace, on the street or in your own home.
‘This burglary ended with terrible consequences after a wonderful older lady died. She had suffered a horrendous ordeal in her own home. Her last days were dominated by the stress of this robbery and the loss of her life savings.’
The gang fled in a black Audi. The suspects are all described as white men. One is thought to be in his mid- 20s and around 5ft 10in tall with a chubby face. He was wearing a black hat and scarf.
Mrs Malpass’s daughter, Lorraine Morris, said: ‘ It’s heartbreaking, when you go up and she isn’t at home, and then you feel angry that they’ve taken her away from us.’ Her son Derek added: ‘There’s still a lot of decent people out there and some of them know who these people are – from spending the money, enjoying themselves, bragging about it, because these sort of people do that.
‘They didn’t show a bit of compassion, they were not interested. They’d got my mum’s life savings, got the valuables, and that was them.
‘But they’ve got to go home, sit and look at their own parents and grandparents, and think what would they think if it happened to them.
‘What a way to make a living – all this heartache.’