Police Hunt Woman Who Strangled Elderly Woman With Dog Lead
31 July 2017, 09:26 | Updated: 31 July 2017, 11:15
An 82-year-old woman has been seriously injured after being strangled with her dog's lead at her home in south London.
Catherine Smith was on her mobility scooter when she saw the suspect at the Palace Road Nature Gardens in Streatham on Thursday 27th July.
The woman then followed her home, shouting "Where’s Tracy?" and repeatedly asking for money.
The suspect then rang the doorbell and asked Catherine if she could use her toilet. When Catherine said no, the suspect aggressively pushed open the front door, causing Catherine to fall backwards and hit her head.
The suspect then grabbed the victim’s dog lead, wrapped it round her neck and started to strangle her.
The suspect is described as a black woman, about 5ft 5ins tall, of slim build, with slick backed black hair. She was wearing a khaki coloured zipped coat, multi-coloured trainers and tights.
Detective Constable Vicky Vincent said: "This was a vicious unprovoked attack on an elderly vulnerable woman’s own doorstep. The attack has left her very distressed.
"We believe the suspect spotted Catherine in Palace Road Nature Gardens and for unknown reasons decided to follow her home, harass her and then brutally assault her.
"We would encourage anyone with information or any witnesses to contact us as a matter of urgency so we can bring the person responsible for this heinous crime to justice."
Anyone with information or any witnesses should contact Lambeth CID on 07785 774447, 101 or Tweet @MetCC. Information can also be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.
