Widow of murdered church organist Alan Greaves is attacked in street

Maureen Greaves with her husband Alan (PA)

The widow of a church organist murdered in a street attack on Christmas Eve has described how she was herself the subject of a violent mugging as the trial of her husband's killers draws nearer.

Alan Greaves, a devout Christian lay-preacher and former social worker, was killed in attack near his home in the High Green area of Sheffield last year.

Jonathan Bowling, 22, was jailed for a minimum of 25 years last month after he admitted murdering the 68-year-old and another 22-year-old, Ashley Foster, was found guilty of Mr Greaves' manslaughter and jailed for nine years.

His widow, Church Army evangelist Maureen Greaves, 64, spoke after the trial how she had forgiven her husband's killers.

Now Mrs Greaves had described how she was punched in the face in the street in June by a woman who tried to take her handbag.

She told the Sheffield Star how it made her think of how her husband would have felt when he was being brutally assaulted.

"It was very frightening," Mrs Greaves said.

"The worst thing was it made me imagine Alan being attacked and what he was feeling.

“If I had been 80 years old I wouldn’t have been able to defend myself, and she could have really shocked and scared me.”

Mrs Greaves was attacked outside shops on Burncross Road, in Chapeltown, Sheffield.

She said the woman demanded cash and hit her so hard it knocked off her glasses and left her with bruises.

Her son Peter was present and intervened.

South Yorkshire Police said a 24-year-old woman was arrested on on suspicion of assault and attempted robbery.

A spokeswoman said: "A file regarding the woman has been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration pending psychiatric reports."

Additional reporting by Press Association