Arrest over murder of great-gran
87-YEAR-OLD DIED SHORTLY AFTER ATTACK IN HER OWN HOME
POLICE investigating the murder of an 87-year-old woman who was attacked in her own home have made an arrest.
It comes less than two months after a fresh appeal for information into the tragic death of great grandmother, Eileen Blane, who died in February last year.
A 29-year-old man has been detained by officers on suspicion of murder. He was being questioned by detectives yesterday.
Eileen was dragged, kicked and punched across her Stretford home by a man who fled with a £20 ring and £30 in cash, on February 3 last year.
She was left with fractured ribs, broken vertebrae and internal injuries.
Eileen was discharged from hospital at the end of March last year, but died just over a week later on April 1.
A pathologist later linked her death to her injuries – and a murder investigation was launched.
Before she died, Eileen spoke to police about the attack that was to end her life. A heartbreaking recording of her recounting her ordeal was released on the anniversary of the attack this year. “He started chucking me about you see, I couldn’t get up,” Eileen told officers. “I asked him to stop but he wouldn’t. “He was quite nasty. He just wouldn’t stop hitting me, that was the main thing. He just said ‘where are you going?’ all the time. “He saw we weren’t going to get out, you see, he was going to make sure we wouldn’t. It was a nightmare.” Eileen’s attacker also savagely dropkicked Eileen’s Jack Russell, Sammy, when he tried to protect her. The robbery was at 2.30pm at her home on Castleton Avenue. Detective Inspector John Mulvihill, from GMP’s major incident team, said: “We have made one arrest in connection with this investigation but I want to stress our enquiries do not stop here. “We are still appealing for information from the public and I would urge anyone who saw anything suspicious on that day to please contact us. “The £50,000 reward still stands for anyone with information that leads to the successful conviction of the offender.” Anyone with any information can call police on 0161 856 9283/6777. Det Insp John Mulvihill