76-year-old dragged from car and robbed

Witness plea after thug threatens to stab lone woman

POLICE today appealed for help in catching a thug who dragged a 76-year-old woman from her car before robbing her in broad daylight.

The woman had just got into her car, parked in Radcliffe Street, after a shopping trip to Royton last Thursday.

Her attacker struck at 2.20pm, pulling open the the driver’s side door and demanding the car keys.

He threatened to stab her if she did not do as he said before dragging her out of the vehicle and throwing her to the ground. The thief snapped the car key as he grabbed it out of the ignition and then stole the woman’s handbag before fleeing towards Rochdale Road. A passer-by helped the woman to her feet and then called police.

Police are now appealing to anyone who witnessed the robbery or who has information about what happened to come forward.

The thief is described as white, aged 35-40, about 5ft 6in tall, of thin build and with a thin face. He had dark brown hair and wore a dark-coloured baseball cap, black trainers and dark-coloured jeans. He also wore a lightweight microfibre jacket and spoke with an Oldham accent.

PC Stephen Norris said: “Not only did this man strike in the middle of the day, but it was also market day so it would have been very busy and there are potentially a lot of witnesses who could have vital information.

“I would ask anyone who was out shopping that day to cast your mind back and, please, if you remember anything then call us.

“The woman has been put through a pretty harrowing ordeal so if anyone does know something, they could be the key to giving this woman some peace of mind. In the meantime, we would ask motorists to be vigilant and follow a few simple steps to lessen the risk of falling prey to this sort of crime.

“By far the highest number of incidents relating to the theft of cars are where car keys are left in the vehicle while the owner pays for petrol, buys a newspaper or goes back into the house while the car is warming up on the drive.

“By ensuring that keys are not left easily accessible through letterboxes or windows, the public can help us to reduce the number of car-jackings even further.”