Man guilty of mugging 91-yr-old woman
14 September 2012
Eric Banton, 49 (9.3.63), of Northumberland Park, N17, has today (Friday, 14 September) pleaded guilty at Wood Green Crown Court to robbery of a 91-year-old woman.
At 13:30hrs on Tuesday 14 August, a 91-year-old woman had been to the shops in Archway Road and was walking in Church Road N6.
"Words can't express the level of depravity the perpetrator stooped to when he targeted this woman."
The woman was near the junction with Talbot Road N6 when she felt someone pulling at her bag. She looked down to see someone's hand in her bag and tried to pull away but was forcibly pushed, causing her to fall to the ground and bang her head.
A man made off with her purse, which contained her bank card, travel pass and £20 cash.
The victim suffered severe bruising and swelling to her face, neck, shoulder, leg and a broken arm.
She was taken by the ambulance service to hospital for treatment. She was subsequently discharged but then readmitted to hospital following concerns about the injury to her head.
She has since been discharged again.
PC Paul Hallas, the investigating officer, of Haringey CID said: "The attacker left an elderly woman on the ground in the street, without a care for her welfare.
"Words can't express the level of depravity the perpetrator stooped to when he targeted this woman."
The victims family stated the following after the attack:
"Mother and Grandmother Lynne who is 91 lived a busy independent life in Highgate.
"On 14 August she was attacked and robbed of her purse during which she was pushed to the ground smashing her head on a wall and the pavement. She also broke her right arm.
"Lynne has many friends in Highgate and is known and looked after by the local shop keepers. She was also able to go to Muswell Hill alone by bus and is a member of the Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution where she attends talks and is a keen member of her local church.
"Since Lynne was mugged she has spent two periods in hospital totalling 10 days which included an emergency operation to remove a blood clot from her head."
Eric Banton is due to be sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court on the 5 October.
- Joanne Weaver sustained horrific injuries in robbery attack.