Woman dragged into road during robbery

A woman was dragged into the road as two boys stole her handbag in Rochdale.

Police are appealing specifically to a member of the public who is believed to have witnessed the robbery and went to the victim's aid afterwards.

At around 3.55pm on Monday 11 October 2010, the 61-year-old victim was walking home from work along Spotland Road when two boys approached her from behind.

One of the offenders grabbed her handbag and tried to pull it away from her. He then pulled her out into the main road by her handbag, causing her to fall to the ground.

The second offender then grabbed her bag again and pulled it away from her. The boys then ran off down the side of the river at the bottom of Spotland Road.

The victim suffered grazing to her knee as a result of the fall and was helped by a member of the public who witnessed the attack.

Police are very keen to speak to this man as he could hold vital information. He is described as white, aged around 40 years.

The offenders are described as Asian, aged 15 to 16 years, of average build. One of them had dark hair.

Detective Constable Lesley Nolan from Rochdale Robbery Unit said: "This poor woman has been left very shaken up as you can imagine and the actions of these boys could have led to a much more serious incident as they showed no regard for her safety as they dragged her into a main road.

"We need to find whoever was responsible and I am particularly keen to speak to the man that went to help the victim. Please contact police as you could really help catch these thugs."

Anyone with any information is asked to call the robbery unit on 0161 856 4052 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.