Woman, 85, found dead at home in Romford after 'cowardly assault'

An 85-year-old woman has been found dead at her home after suffering a “cowardly assault”, the police have said.

Scotland Yard have launched a murder investigation after Rosina Coleman was discovered by a handyman at her home in Romford, east London, at about 11.30am on Tuesday. A postmortem is expected to take place on Thursday. Officers are yet to make any arrests.

DI Paul Considine of the homicide and major crime command said: “This is a despicable incident in which the victim, an elderly lady who lived alone, had been subjected to a cowardly assault that left her with serious injuries. She was discovered by a handyman working at the address.

“I want to ask anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious to call police immediately. Did you hear anyone in distress or notice someone in the area who may have looked out of place? Even a fragment of information is beneficial to our investigation. It is imperative that we find those responsible for this horrendous offence.”