Witnesses sought after "Nasty attack" on pensioner (83)

The Broom woman was walking home from Rotherham town centre at around 4.30pm yesterday - along Clifton Lane, towards Badsley Moor Lane - when she became aware of an unknown man that appeared to be following her.

A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Police said: “The elderly woman then turned into Broom Road and was outside her property when the same unknown man is reported to have assaulted her, pushing her into her home.

“The man is believed to have fled the scene after stealing the woman’s purse.

“The victim has been taken to hospital to receive treatment for her injuries.”

Temporary detective inspector Steve Brookes said: “This was a nasty attack on a vulnerable elderly lady and we are keen to speak to anyone who might have witnessed the robbery, or who may have seen a man following a woman in the area at the time.

“The man is described as being eastern European, around 5ft 4ins tall, possibly in his 50s, with thinned hair wearing jeans and a navy blue coat.

“We have officers in the area carrying out enquiries, including examination of any CCTV cameras in the local area, in a bid to identify the person responsible.”

If you have any information that could help officers call 101 quoting incident number 724 of September 21, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.