An 89-year-old woman has suffered a broken pelvis after an attack outside her home in Limerick city, the second time a pensioner was assaulted in the city in less than a week.
The woman was attacked at 11pm on Sunday and sustained a number of serious injuries.
The woman, who turned 89 last month, was returning home from bingo when she was grabbed by a man as she entered her front door.
She had been dropped off by taxi to her house in the Rosbrien area of the city and was standing on a step in front of her house when she was pulled from the step and dragged to the ground.
It is understood the taxi driver who brought her home was returning after dropping off her friend at a nearby address, when he discovered the woman lying on the ground.
A relative of the victim, who did not wish to be named, described the ordeal as “horrific”. The thief fled the scene with the woman’s handbag, which contained just €20 in cash.
Head injury
The taxi driver quickly raised the alarm and the 89-year-old was taken to University Hospital Limerick, where she was being treated for a number of injuries including a head injury and a broken pelvis.
Speaking on Limerick’s LIVE 95FM Limerick Today show, Mairead Hayes, chief executive of the Irish Senior Citizens parliament, appealed to the public to help gardaí find the perpetrator of the attack.
“I think communities should not shield anybody who is involved in something like that, because that outing for that lady is probably one of the highlights of her week,” she said.
The Metropolitan Mayor of Limerick, Cllr Jerry O’Dea, also condemned the incident. “This was a horrendous attack and all our sympathies and thoughts are with the lady and we hope she will make a full recovery.
“The elderly are amongst the most important in society because they have made their contribution and in the latter part of their years they should feel safe and be able to walk the streets without fear of attacks like this.”
It was the second such attack on a pensioner in the past week.
A man in his 20s was arrested by gardaí on Monday afternoon in connection with another incident involving an elderly man last week.
The victim, who is in his 80s, was robbed last Thursday at Roxboro Shopping Centre and had €80 taken from him after he was followed into a toilet area. He was not seriously injured but was said to be extremely shaken by the ordeal.
at Roxboro are investigating both incidents and can be contacted on 061-214340.