Pensioner dies after being violently beaten by a burglar who entered her home asking for a glass of water
Britain has been experiencing a terrible heatwave and sensing a stranger's discomfort, a pensioner let him in after he requested her for a glass of water. Her good deed backfired terribly as investigating officers revealed how she was left for dead in her home after she was beaten up by the man. Joyce Burgess, who has been described as a "lovely, sweet, and kind lady" was the victim of a brutal robbery on July 7 afternoon in Woking, Surrey. The authorities have revealed that the man who broke into the home had gone in through the front door after feigning thirst. The 84-year-old died in the hospital later and this launched a murder investigation. Rosalind Blay, her niece, said that the attack had left her aunt "with a lot of facial damage".
Blay posted on Facebook requesting people and neighbors to help the police with information on the murderer.
Neighbor, Laurelei Dudley, told DailyMail that Joyce was a "kind and sweet woman" who was "no threat to anyone". The 47-year-old woman said: "I can't imagine anyone hurting her, I can't process that. She was very frail and not very mobile so was no threat to anyone. She had recently got a mobility scooter. I'm just absolutely disgusted - there's a special place in hell for people like that. What really upsets me is that I was at home taking a bath at the time. I'd been out a family day and decided to come home to cool down. And to think she was just up the road being killed."
The authorities said that the killer injured the elderly woman on her arms, face, and chest. A spokesperson for the Surrey Police said that the current investigating detectives had been joined by the Major Crimes Team for the Surrey and Sussex Police.
The spokesperson said: "Detectives are continuing to appeal for witnesses following the death of an elderly woman who was the victim of a violent burglary in Woking on Saturday. The man entered her home via her front door, engaging her in conversation and asking for a glass of water. A struggle then ensued as he stole Mrs. Burgess’ handbag. Mrs. Burgess suffered injuries to her arms, chest, and face during the attack. He left the area in a white vehicle heading towards Vicarage Road. Officers are currently conducting a number of inquiries in the area and are appealing for anyone who may have seen the incident, or has any information about the man."
Superintendent Graham Barnett said: "This was a violent attack of an elderly lady in her own home. A post-mortem examination will be conducted to establish the cause of death. We do not underestimate the impact this has caused on the community and have had and will continue to have officers patrolling the area to speak to anyone who has concerns. They will also be available to offer crime prevention advice and reassurance. Since this happened on Saturday we have been carrying out a number of inquiries to find the person responsible. We are taking this extremely seriously. If anyone has any information about what happened, or any potential information about the person responsible to get in touch with us immediately.
"Mrs. Burgess’ death has come a huge shock to her family and friends as, although she suffered serious injuries, she was showing positive signs of recovery and was talking in hospital. We believe she may have been targeted by an opportunistic burglar who took advantage of her front door being open. He got away with her handbag which contained personal items and a small amount of cash. The investigation is now being supported by the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team and it is being treated as an unexplained death at this time and until we receive the post-mortem results. We are fully committed to finding the person responsible for this despicable crime."
The spokesperson for the police confirmed that no arrests have been made as of yet. Detectives say that the attacker had been described as white, of slim build, approximately 5ft 8in to 6ft tall, and light brown hair with long hair in the front that looks like curtains. He is also said to be clean-shaven and spoke with an English accent.
Detective Sergeant Adam Tatton has said that the incident has been a "terrifying ordeal" and also appealed for any witnesses to come forward and give information to the police. The neighbors have said they believed the elderly woman was probably a retired solicitor. She had lived by herself in the house for 35 years and most of this was alone. Her hobby was gardening and her well-maintained hedges and lawns around the house proved that she put a lot of hard work into it.
One of the neighbors whose back garden bordered Burgess' garden said: "She was a really nice lady, she had our number and we had a set of keys in case there were any problems. She's been all alone in that house for a while now and her son has been away abroad for a fair few years." Another neighbor who lives across the road said: "Both me and my fiance were inside and we could have seen it happening. We were both really shocked to imagine this could happen here. Later on, we heard a lot of noise when the police showed up." One of Burgess' elderly neighbors also said that her death was "horrendous".
Martin Stillwell, the chairman of the Woking Neighborhood Watch team, spoke of the deadly burglary and said: "We are trying to get a few more details out of the police but we have no more power to extract information out of them than any member of the public. So what we are trying to do is act as a liaison between the police and then to try to set aside fears considering that someone has died. Woking should be noted as a particularly safe town and violent burgles like this are extremely rare.
"I am trying to find out details myself. The one thing we have always been aware of as a neighborhood watch across all of Surrey, is that elderly residents living alone need to be aware of strangers coming to their door. My father passed away aged 95 not long ago, and its the same thing, don't answer the door to strangers."