A 100-year-old woman whose neck was broken when she was robbed on her way to church has died, police have said.
Zofija Kaczanwas was knocked from behind and thrown to the pavement by a robber who stole her bag in Normanton, Derby at around 8:45am last Thursday.
The woman, understood to have been a widower and a former factory worker who had moved to the UK from Poland with her husband, passed away in the early hours of Wednesday morning, despite initial reports suggesting that she had been recovering.
Detective Chief Inspector Darren De'ath said: “This crime is absolutely horrific. Mrs Kaczan was a well-loved member of the community and [the fact] she was targeted in this way is disgusting.”
A 39-year old initially held in connection with the incident has been released.
The woman, who also suffered a fractured cheek and facial bruising, was robbed of her green purse, which was later found near the junction of Moore Street and Normanton Road.
Relatives fear a considerable amount of cash was stolen.
Police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
“There are people in Derby who know the person responsible for this crime and I would urge them to come forward with any information that can help bring those responsible to justice,” the detective said.
He added: “We have a number of leads that we are pursuing and a post-mortem will take place to determine a cause of death.”
Detectives have particularly called on anyone who saw a beige Seat Leon close to where the robbery took place, near the junction between Empress Road and St. Chads Road, to speak to police.
They are also appealing to anyone with information, CCTV or dashcam footage that shows a vehicle with the registration plate SL02 KVZ to come forward.
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