Elderly sisters fight off would-be attacker

Two elderly sisters who fought off an attacker who attempted to rob them in a residential street were praised today by police.

The two women, aged 76 and 83, were walking along The Thicket, in Portsmouth, Hampshire, when they were approached by a man on a bike at 4.15pm on November 5.

He demanded they hand over their handbags but instead the younger sister swung her shopping bag at the would-be thief and scared him off.

Detective Constable Fiona Wright, of Hampshire Police, said: "The sisters had been enjoying a cup of tea earlier in the local shopping precinct and were walking home.

"This cowardly would-be thief certainly wasn't expecting the feisty younger sister to swing her shopping bag at him and he was clearly so shocked he rode off empty-handed.

"Thankfully neither of the ladies were hurt."

The attacker is described as a white man, aged in his early 20s, about 5ft 6ins tall, of medium build, clean shaven and was wearing a dark tracksuit with white stripes down the sleeves, white trainers and a dark woolly hat. He was riding a black bicycle.