14 DAY TRIAL // Who thought elderly people who lived by themselves were defenseless will be proven wrong by this amazing story. A 101-year-old woman from Liverpool is praised by police for her “determination and remarkable spirit” after fighting off an intruder who conned her way inside her house and tried to steal her purse.
The burglar forced her way into the house by pretending she needed to use the phone. The well-intended centenarian allowed the unknown woman to enter her house, but what happened next proves that the saying “no good deed goes unpunished” actually has a lot of truth in it.
Her benevolence was utterly abused, as, once inside, the deplorable thief began searching the house and asking for money before trying to snatch the woman’s purse from her handbag. The suspect probably thought that, because she was old, her victim was also frail, but the sturdy elderly woman proved her wrong.
The victim, who lives in Stoneycroft, Liverpool, refused to be intimidated and bravely fought the burglar off, forcing her to leave the house empty-handed. According to the Daily Mirror, she grabbed on the purse and shouted until the pitiful thief fled.
The incident happened last Sunday afternoon, and police has started an investigation to identify the thug. It has now released three CCTV images of a suspect it is searching for in connection with the burglary and asks anyone who may recognize her or may have other information about the case to contact it as soon as possible.
“The victim is 101 years old and one of only a handful of people in the country who has lived through both world wars,” Detective Inspector Phil Mahon, of Merseyside Police, says. “But some deplorable person still thinks it is acceptable to barge into her home and try to steal off her.”
The centenarian suffered minor injuries in the altercation, but otherwise, she escaped unharmed, sparking admiration from police officers.
“I know the community will share my disgust at this incident and I want to take this opportunity to reassure people that we are doing everything we can to bring the person responsible to justice,” Mahon adds. “The victim suffered a slight abrasion to her arm but otherwise, thankfully, was uninjured. She was however left upset following her ordeal.”
A similar incident happened in November 2010, when an 83-year-old pensioner used her walking stick to beat off two burglars who tricked their way into her Oldham home, posing as gas engineers.