I'll protect my grandmother

The grandson of an 89-year-old woman left for dead after a brutal assault in her home today spoke of his anger.

Annie Hendrick was found last week on the floor of her maisonette. Her jaw was broken and her cheekbones, nose and eye-sockets fractured.

Mrs Hendrick is today recovering at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel where her family is keeping a bedside vigil. Her injuries were so horrific that police were initially reluctant to let relatives see her.

"The people that did this are beneath scum," said her grandson David Horne, 39. "They are savages. We want these people caught so that they can't be given the opportunity to do this to anybody else."

Mr Horne, a broker at Lloyd's, added: "Police wouldn't let me go and see her at first and an ambulance crewman told me he had never seen anything like it. Her face was swollen massively.

"My grandmother is never going to be on her own again because I will move in with her. The other day she held my hand tight and said she loved me more than anything. Forget Christmas. It's all about her."

Detectives believe she was beaten by burglars who tricked their way into her home in Bow before battering her unconscious. Mrs Hendrick has still not been able to provide detectives with a statement because of her injuries.

Det Insp Richard Tucker, who is leading the investigation, said: "This was an appalling attack on a frail old woman. At the moment we have no idea of the motive."

Dublin-born Mrs Hendrick moved to Bow from Ireland in 1956 with her husband Tommy and their daughter.

She continued working as a machinist when she arrived in London and upon retiring at 76, worked as a seamstress for French Connection.

"They had to make her leave in the end," said Mr Horne. "She is an avid West Ham United fan and sprightly despite her age. She is very energetic. The reason she is so active was that she never had the luxury of sitting down and doing nothing. She just worked to serve the family."

Mr Horne added: "There is hope for her getting better. We have got to be optimistic. We are planning to give her a big 90th birthday party in January."

An incident room has been set up at Limehouse Police Station. If you have any information, call 020 7275 4286.

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