Thug jailed after pushing woman, 81, to ground and stealing her purse in Bexleyheath

Jay Makwana, 40, waited with the injured woman before slipping her purse into a carrier bag
Metropolitan Police
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

A south east London man who left an elderly woman with head injuries after snatching her purse has been jailed for six years.

Jay Makwana, 40, pushed the 81-year-old victim to the ground as he stole the wallet containing around £200 outside a bank in Bexley.

Police were called to the scene on Market Place, Bexleyheath, just before 11am on November 9 following reports that a woman had been injured.

They found the 81-year-old lying on the ground with facial injuries, Scotland Yard said.

She was taken by ambulance to a south London hospital where her injuries were assessed as not life-threatening.

Officers launched an investigation taking witness statements and reviewing CCTV from the area.

The footage showed the victim leaving a nearby bank when she was approached by Makwana.

He pushed her to the ground causing her to hit her head on the pavement.

The 40-year-old waited with the woman until officers arrived before putting her purse into a carrier bag and leaving the scene.

Makwana, of Northumberland Park, Erith, was arrested by Metropolitan Police officers on November 24. He was interviewed and charged the following day.

He pleaded guilty to robbery at Woolwich Crown Court on January 6.

Sergeant Matt Taylor, of the Met’s Burglary Robbery Investigation Team, said: "This was a truly shocking assault on a woman who was deliberately targeted because of her age and vulnerability.

"It has had a huge impact on the victim's life and left her scared to leave home alone. I hope the fact that Makwana received a significant custodial sentence will bring her some closure as she continues to come to terms with this terrible ordeal."

Makwana was also ordered to pay a £190 victim surcharge.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in