Two teenage boys have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a pensioner died following a robbery at her home, the Mirror reports. Joy Middleditch, 82 passed away two days after two masked thugs forced their way into her home in Suffolk and knocked her to the ground.
A concerned family member went round to her home and found Mrs Middleditch lying on the floor of her home in the early hours of Saturday the March 25. The mum-of-three was taken to hospital but died on the Monday as police confirmed they had launched a murder probe following the 'vicious and cowardly' attack on the frail widow.
The force confirmed that a 14-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy were both arrested from the Lowestoft area and are being questioned at Martlesham Police Investigation Centre. Suffolk Police said that Mrs Middleditch had heard a noise at her door in Grayson Avenue, Pakefield when two masked males forced entry into her home and knocked her to the ground.
Officers said they later discovered the victim's orange coloured handbag with a silver link chain handle from Nelson Road, around 400 yards from her housing association home. A Home Office post-mortem examination was carried out on March 27 but the great-grandmother's cause of death is yet to be confirmed, pending further investigation.
Forensic officers in white suits were seen hunting yesterday for potential clues in the victim's bungalow while officers searched her front garden. Teams of other cops were seen looking in undergrowth and bushes alongside nearby roads.
Tributes have been flooding in for the 82-year-old pensioner who's been described as a 'quiet lady' who was 'really nice' following her tragic death. A neighbour said that Mrs Middleditch lived alone with her nine-year-old Lhasa Apso dog called Zen after the death of her husband several years ago.
The OAP who walked with the aid of a frame regularly attended weekly coffee mornings and lunches at Lowestoft Centre for Over 60s. Neighbour Doris Kirsten said: “She would be collected in a minibus after it picked me up. She was a quiet lady, but she was really nice.
“She would come out on her little walker, and would stay on at the club for something to eat.” Phil Love, the co-ordinator of the town’s Over 60s club, said: “Her death has shocked many people here.
“She lived in a quiet and pleasant street. The fact that it happened in such a welcoming area makes it even more shocking.”
Any witnesses or anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Major Investigation Team, via the online portal https://mipp.police.uk/operation/363721O10-PO1 or by calling 101 quoting the reference 37/17537/23.
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