A 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 100-year-old woman’s neck was broken in a street robbery in Derby.
Zofija Kaczan was on her way to church when she was attacked from behind and pushed to the floor in the Normanton area at about 8.45am on 28 May.
She was left with multiple injuries, including a broken neck, a fractured cheekbone and bruising to her face. Her handbag was found dumped near the scene of the attack.
Police had said Kaczan was recovering relatively well, but she died early on Wednesday.
The man had previously been arrested on suspicion of robbing Kaczan and released under investigation on Tuesday before her death. He remains in police custody and is being questioned.
Derbyshire police said they were keen to hear from anyone who saw a beige Seat Leon with the registration SL02 KVZ close to where the incident took place. The car was found abandoned two days later, on 30 May, in a car park in nearby Stockbrook.
Speaking on Wednesday, DCI Darren De’ath, leading the investigation, said: “This crime is absolutely horrific. Mrs Kaczan was a well-loved member of the community and that she was targeted in this way is disgusting.”
Kaczan is understood to have grown up in Poland. According to friends, she was taken to Germany by the Nazis during the second world war to work in factories. She came to England after the war and settled in Derby.
She celebrated her 100th birthday last month, with neighbours throwing her a small party. She also received a birthday card from the pope.
Nisbat Begun, who lived near to Kaczan, told the BBC that he would see her every morning when he was doing the school run. “She was a very independent lady who used to be out all the time and it has shocked me,” he said.
“She has lost her life over her handbag. People like that disgust me. Targeting a lady like that when she couldn’t defend herself. It is very very sad to hear it happening on your doorstep.”
