Police are appealing for information after a woman’s handbag was snatched as she was walking home across a small area of grass leading from Charles Dickens Court towards Old Commercial Road.
At 7.20pm on Saturday, December 13, the 65-year-old woman from Fratton was returning home from church when she was approached from behind.
The man grabbed the woman’s bag as he passed and ran off towards the Nelson Road, or Victoria Road, area.
The bag was a small black canvas handbag with a poppy on the front. The bag contained £50 in cash, along with some store cards, photographs of the woman’s late husband, and her bible.
The woman was uninjured but left extremely shaken and upset, and as a result has stopped visiting church as she used to in the evenings because she does not want to go out when it is dark.
The man is described as:
- White
- 5ft 10ins tall
- Slim build
- Had his shoulders hunched up
- Wearing a black hooded top, with the hood pulled up, and black trousers
PC Colin Kirby said, “This incident happened very quickly and the woman had little time to react, and she was left in a very distressed state as a result of what happened. The money taken was for the woman to buy Christmas presents, and she has also lost some photographs that were very dear to her. If you saw or heard anything at all please get in contact.”
Can you help?
Anyone with information is asked to contact PC Colin Kirby at Fratton police station on 0845 045 45 45 or call the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111. Mini-Com users can call 01962 875000.
