POLICE are appealing for witnesses to an incident in which a robber grabbed a frail 78-year-old woman and pinned her up against a wall before running off with her purse.

The victim, Florence Hutton, was walking along Corporation Street at about 3.20pm on Friday, July 31, when the man came up from behind her, pinned her against a wall and rummaged through her bag. He then ran off towards Vincent Street with her purse, containing £25 cash and personal items.

After the robbery an elderly man was seen to run after the offender and two other men approached Florence to check that she was alright.

Police are appealing to any of these witnesses to come forward to help them with their inquiries into the incident which has left Florence, who comes from the Blackbrook area, upset and distressed.

She wasn't able to get a good look at the thief but she says he had black, curly hair and was wearing a navy-blue top with three white stripes down the sleeves.

Anyone able to help the police with their inquiries can contact DC Ken Foulkes on 0151 777 6875.

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