Pensioner, 82, who died after burglary by teenagers cried out for ‘Mummy'

Telegraph

09-05-2025

An 82-year-old pensioner who died after being burgled by a pair of masked teenage boys was left crying out for her 'Mummy', a court heard.
Joy Middleditch, a great-grandmother, was found on her kitchen floor with broken ribs in Pakefield, Suffolk, 12 hours after the burglary in March 2023.
She died in hospital two days after a 'planned' robbery by two boys, aged 14 and 15, who wore 'intimidating masks' and had smoked cannabis.
The boys, who are now 16 and 17 but cannot be named for legal reasons, were sentenced to two years in a youth detention centre on Friday.
Sentencing the pair, District Judge Kenneth Sheraton said Middleditch was found with five broken ribs and bruising.
A trial at Great Yarmouth magistrates' court heard last month that she was 'calling for her mother' during the burglary on March 25 2023.
The two boys had shared a joint of cannabis before walking two miles to Middleditch's bungalow.
Hanna Llewelyn-Waters, prosecuting, told the previous hearing that they had made a 'beeline' for her address and that it was 'inconceivable that they did not know the house was lived in by an elderly person'.
The court heard they climbed over a gate to the rear of the bungalow and opened the back door.
In a police interview, the older boy claimed he was merely following his friend, saying he 'followed to see what he was doing'.
'He opened the door, and there was a dog growling,' he said. 'It was only a little thing, so he just ran in. She was inside, and he pushed her into the table.
'He then grabbed her bag and ran back out. I shut the door and followed him. She was screaming, 'Get out of my house' and 'Mummy'.'
The boy added that Middleditch had told him to shut the door so her dog would not run away.
Ms Llewelyn-Waters said his claims of non-involvement were 'nonsense' and that the pair had 'acted together', with the younger boy not giving evidence because 'he has no account to give that will stand up to scrutiny'.
The boys were both convicted of burglary after the trial.
Judge Sheraton told the sentencing hearing that Middleditch was only found 12 hours later.
'I have been sitting in magistrates' courts for many years, and I have no hesitation in saying this is one of the nastiest cases I have seen,' he said.
The judge added: 'Both boys would have seen the mobility frame by the back door and both boys would have been aware that this was an elderly lady.
'Both boys left the victim on the floor, knowing she had limited mobility, and she had been found some 12 hours later by her son and daughter-in-law after they could not get an answer on the phone.'
When the sentencing was announced, the mothers of both boys burst into tears.
The older defendant asked if he could say goodbye to his mother, but his request was denied.
Following the hearing in April which saw the boys found guilty of robbery, the victim's family issued a statement which said: 'The network of persons affected by this does not just end with us.
'Joy was a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister to several siblings, an aunt and a close friend to many.
'She was worth more than to be a victim of cruel, thoughtless criminals.'