82-year-old mugging victim killed for £2.20 in loose change

Widow Eunice Gale died in hospital, having never recovered from her injuries.

Three men pounced on the grandmother-of-three while she enjoyed her regular evening stroll near her home in Melbourne, Derbyshire.

They flung her to the ground before fleeing with her handbag. Mrs Gale suffered a fractured pelvis and bruising to her stomach, shoulder and arms.

Her grieving son, Neil, 60, said: “My mother was killed for the price of a pint.

The thugs who attacked her made off with £2.20. It feels like a kick in the teeth that our family has been destroyed for such a petty amount.” Mrs Gale, who was described by her family as “100 per cent fit” before the attack, died after getting an infection caused by the trauma and injuries from the mugging.

Neil said: “She was badly shaken and in a lot of pain. I never imagined something like this would ever happen to her.” She was initially sent home from hospital but the next day she was still in pain and went back for an X-ray which revealed her fracture.

Neil said his mother, who wore a hearing aid, did not hear the men come up to her until she was jumped on from behind and knocked to the pavement. They fled and passers-by came to help and stayed with her until the emergency services arrived.

“Police recovered my mother’s bag in a bin. The men left her house keys and spectacles and had just taken the few coins she was carrying,” said Neil.

Mrs Gale lived with Neil, his wife Diane and their daughter Emily, who is due to get married next year. Neil said: “I don’t understand how anyone could knock an 82-year-old over. Things like this will continue to happen unless we get punishment that fits the crime. What kind of world will we have in 20 years if we carry on like this?”

Three men have been arrested in connection with the attack on April 22 and the investigation is ongoing.

Detective Inspector Dave Cox, of Derbyshire Police, said: “This is an awful crime.”