A 70-year-old woman has been left with a black eye after being attacked while handing out Christmas gifts to the homeless.
Moira Norcliffe went out into the town centre of Huddersfield, UK, on Monday, December 16, in an attempt to share joy and Christmas spirit with those living on the streets.
Her day quickly turned sour, however, when a man walked up behind her and aggressively pushed the 70-year-old to the ground. The unidentified attacker stood over Moira for a moment before pulling his hood up and fleeing the area.
The shocked woman, a retired medical receptionist, recalled the incident and explained she ‘went down like a sack of potatoes’.
She commented:
I was just going to turn into the Monday Market when these two hands came up behind me and pushed my shoulder blades.
He was stood just a few feet away from me. It was as if he was wanting to see what my reactions were.
The kind-hearted woman hadn’t told her husband, Peter, she was going to hand things out to people on the streets as she only does it when she has ‘a few spare pounds to give to the less fortunate’.
Moira had used her money to buy woolly hats, gloves, socks, currant teacakes, cheese and water, which she wanted to hand out to help keep those in need warm and well fed in the cold weather.
It’s unclear what happened immediately after the attack, but someone called the police to inform them of the man’s actions and an ambulance arrived to take Moira to hospital.
The 70-year-old was taken to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary’s A&E department, where she was treated for injuries to her face and hand. Moira was later allowed to return home to start the process of physical and psychological recovery.
Moira continued:
I hadn’t even told my husband what I was doing, I just blurted it out in the ambulance.
Peter, 72, believes the man ‘just wanted to hurt someone who couldn’t fight back’.
Commenting on the incident, he said:
He didn’t attempt theft or further assault.
Crime scene investigation team have visited to take photos. We, the medical staff, police, friends and family are all mystified as to why someone should do such a thing.
The unidentified man’s actions are truly horrendous; especially when the pensioner was only out to do good. Hopefully Moira will make a full and fast recovery.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.