Catch burglars who killed pensioner..or they’ll strike again
Plea as OAP dies in violent raid
THE family of a pensioner who died after masked burglars raided her home fear the monsters will strike again unless they are caught.
Joy Middleditch, 82, passed away on Monday, two days after thugs burst in and knocked her to the ground.
Police confirmed they had launched a murder probe following the “vicious and cowardly” attack in Suffolk.
A relative found Joy seriously injured and lying on the floor early on Saturday.
She was taken to hospital but died on Monday before telling police of the two men who stole her handbag and purse.
Her great niece Rebekka Arnold, 30, urged anyone with dashcam footage to come forward, adding: “It’s terrifying these people are still out there. Hoping somebody will have the information to help catch them before they do this to somebody else.
“How could anyone ever sleep knowing they did this to an elderly lady? Makes me sick, hopefully someone will be able to find something that leads to finding these monsters.”
Mother of three Joy had confronted the burglars late on Friday or early on Saturday after hearing a noise at her back door in Grayson Avenue, Pakefield.
Police found her orange handbag with a silver link chain handle 400 yards from her housing association home. Joy’s niece Mandy Leadbitter said she was not rich, adding: “They probably took basic things – her purse, which probably only had her pension money.” Forensic officers yesterday examined her bungalow while police searched her garden and bushes at nearby roads.
Joy lived with her nineyear-old Lhasa apso dog, Zen, after her husband died several years ago.
Neighbour Doris Kirsten said the greatgran, who used a walking frame, attended weekly coffee mornings and lunches at the Lowestoft Centre for Over 60s.
She added: “She would be collected in a minibus after it picked me up. She was a quiet lady but she was really nice.” Club co-ordinator Phil Love said: “Her death has shocked many people. The fact it happened in such a welcoming area makes it even more shocking.”
Det Chief Insp Matthew Connick of the Joint Major Investigations team added: “The investigation to establish the full circumstances surrounding the offence continues, as do inquiries to establish the cause of death.”
Meanwhile, a separate murder inquiry was sparked 300 miles away after a woman in her 80s died in a reported burglary in Somerset on Monday.
Police were called to a property at 5.45pm in Broomfield, near Bridgwater, where the woman passed away.
With the help of the National Police Air Service and dog unit, a man in his 30s was arrested at 8.40pm in Broomfield. He is still in police custody.
A minibus would pick us up. She was a quiet lady but really nice
NEIGHBOUR DORIS KIRSTEN YESTERDAY