ianstone
09-24-2010, 03:08 PM
Tormented to death: Pensioner, 80, dies after she falls into manhole trap set by yobs who made her life a misery
By Daily Mail Reporter (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=y&authornamef=Daily+Mail+Reporter)
Last updated at 12:51 PM on 24th September 2010
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Add to My Stories (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1314825/Pensioner-dies-falls-manhole-trap-set-yobs.html)
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/09/24/article-1314825-0B547325000005DC-966_233x423.jpg Jenny Ward had been plagued by a gang of youths who smashed the windows of her home and taunted her for several months
An 80-year-old woman died after sick yobs removed a manhole cover from her driveway and she plunged into the hole in darkness.
Jenny Ward, who still worked on a market stall selling jewellery, had been plagued by a gang of youths who smashed the windows of her home and taunted her for several months.
The thugs' campaign of harassment eventually ended in tragedy when the pensioner returned home and fell into the trap late one night.
Her cries for help went unheard for three hours until she was finally rescued by firefighters.
After spending a month in hospital and enduring an operation on her foot, Mrs Ward went to live with a relative, but took a turn for the worse and died in hospital on September 8.
Blackpool coroner's office said Mrs Ward died after a blood clot formed in her lung caused by deep vein thrombosis.
However, friends and neighbours of the pensioner, who had run a market stall in Blackpool for 50 years, said she had never recovered from the campaign of torment and her fall into the manhole.
They have accused police of not doing enough to deal with anti-social behaviour and urged them to find those responsible.
They said that in the weeks leading up to the manhole incident she been scared to return to her home on Shetland Road, because a gang of around ten to 15 teenagers would gather regularly outside her home.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/09/24/article-1314825-0B5474F3000005DC-864_468x717.jpg Bev Lord, friend of Jenny Ward shows a manhole cover in her garden similar to the one which was taken from the pensioner's home
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/09/24/article-1314825-0B548070000005DC-966_233x423.jpg
The manhole into which 80-year-old Ward fell when she returned home one evening
Bev Lord, who worked with Mrs Ward in the market, said: 'I'm devastated. She was being tormented. She stayed out most nights and didn't go back home until later because she was frightened of being home. She was getting verbal abuse and she had her windows smashed.
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TOM UTLEY: More bobbies on the beat? Forgive me for being silly but isn't that blindingly obvious to everyone except our politicians (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1314755/More-bobbies-beat-Isnt-blindingly-obvious-everyone.html)
'She was still working up to a couple of months ago when she had arrived home late one night and someone had stolen the manhole cover from her drive. She didn't see it and got trapped down the hole.
'At her age it must have been such a shock. She was well known, she was a real character.
'I think there should be an investigation. I cannot help but think that whoever did this has caused her death. If it hadn't happened, she would still be working in the market.'
Victor Granda, 46, who had known Mrs Ward since her family employed her on an ice-cream stall when she was a teenager, said: 'She was a lovely lady. She'd talk to a lot of people.
'These teenagers were making her life a misery. They were throwing stones at her, shouting things at her and taunting her.
'She was staying out later and later at night because she didn't want to see these youths.
'The next thing I heard she had fallen down a manhole because a cover had been taken.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/09/24/article-1314825-0B546147000005DC-41_468x286.jpg Anti-social: Neighbours said Mrs Ward was afraid to return to her home in Shetland Road, Blackpool, because of gangs of youths hanging around
'She'd been a very energetic lady, she would have had about ten years on her if this hadn't have happened.'
Neighbour Ced Nortorn, an assistant manager at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, said: 'Mrs Ward was being victimised by local children. It's been a shock.'
Another neighbour, who did not wish to be named for fear of reprisals, said: 'They were always hanging about outside her house and they'd give her cheek.
'There was a gang of them. I've had hassle from them too. There should be an investigation. Someone took the manhole cover and she fell in it. I think that's why she died.'
Another neighbour said: 'They smashed her window once but Mrs Ward said she didn't get it fixed because they'd only do it again.
Police said they were not aware of the antisocial behaviour and have not launched an investigation as the coroner's office did not deem Mrs Ward's death as suspicious.
But they say they are looking into the theft of the manhole cover and urged anyone with information to contact them.
PC Paul Michael said: 'We regularly patrol this area, but we've not been made aware that antisocial behaviour is a particular problem.
'We would encourage residents to report incidents to us so we can provide an appropriate policing response."
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1314825/Pensioner-dies-falls-manhole-trap-set-yobs.html#ixzz10TXvP27b
By Daily Mail Reporter (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=y&authornamef=Daily+Mail+Reporter)
Last updated at 12:51 PM on 24th September 2010
Comments (582) (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1314825/Pensioner-dies-falls-manhole-trap-set-yobs.html#comments)
Add to My Stories (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1314825/Pensioner-dies-falls-manhole-trap-set-yobs.html)
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/09/24/article-1314825-0B547325000005DC-966_233x423.jpg Jenny Ward had been plagued by a gang of youths who smashed the windows of her home and taunted her for several months
An 80-year-old woman died after sick yobs removed a manhole cover from her driveway and she plunged into the hole in darkness.
Jenny Ward, who still worked on a market stall selling jewellery, had been plagued by a gang of youths who smashed the windows of her home and taunted her for several months.
The thugs' campaign of harassment eventually ended in tragedy when the pensioner returned home and fell into the trap late one night.
Her cries for help went unheard for three hours until she was finally rescued by firefighters.
After spending a month in hospital and enduring an operation on her foot, Mrs Ward went to live with a relative, but took a turn for the worse and died in hospital on September 8.
Blackpool coroner's office said Mrs Ward died after a blood clot formed in her lung caused by deep vein thrombosis.
However, friends and neighbours of the pensioner, who had run a market stall in Blackpool for 50 years, said she had never recovered from the campaign of torment and her fall into the manhole.
They have accused police of not doing enough to deal with anti-social behaviour and urged them to find those responsible.
They said that in the weeks leading up to the manhole incident she been scared to return to her home on Shetland Road, because a gang of around ten to 15 teenagers would gather regularly outside her home.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/09/24/article-1314825-0B5474F3000005DC-864_468x717.jpg Bev Lord, friend of Jenny Ward shows a manhole cover in her garden similar to the one which was taken from the pensioner's home
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/09/24/article-1314825-0B548070000005DC-966_233x423.jpg
The manhole into which 80-year-old Ward fell when she returned home one evening
Bev Lord, who worked with Mrs Ward in the market, said: 'I'm devastated. She was being tormented. She stayed out most nights and didn't go back home until later because she was frightened of being home. She was getting verbal abuse and she had her windows smashed.
More...
Parents' fury after police send riot van to hand out parking tickets outside disabled school (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1314636/Police-send-RIOT-VAN-hand-parking-tickets-disabled-school.html)
Police 'have lost the public's trust': We've retreated from the streets and broken our contract says Yard chief (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1314748/Police-lost-publics-trust-Weve-retreated-streets-says-Yard-chief.html)
TOM UTLEY: More bobbies on the beat? Forgive me for being silly but isn't that blindingly obvious to everyone except our politicians (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1314755/More-bobbies-beat-Isnt-blindingly-obvious-everyone.html)
'She was still working up to a couple of months ago when she had arrived home late one night and someone had stolen the manhole cover from her drive. She didn't see it and got trapped down the hole.
'At her age it must have been such a shock. She was well known, she was a real character.
'I think there should be an investigation. I cannot help but think that whoever did this has caused her death. If it hadn't happened, she would still be working in the market.'
Victor Granda, 46, who had known Mrs Ward since her family employed her on an ice-cream stall when she was a teenager, said: 'She was a lovely lady. She'd talk to a lot of people.
'These teenagers were making her life a misery. They were throwing stones at her, shouting things at her and taunting her.
'She was staying out later and later at night because she didn't want to see these youths.
'The next thing I heard she had fallen down a manhole because a cover had been taken.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/09/24/article-1314825-0B546147000005DC-41_468x286.jpg Anti-social: Neighbours said Mrs Ward was afraid to return to her home in Shetland Road, Blackpool, because of gangs of youths hanging around
'She'd been a very energetic lady, she would have had about ten years on her if this hadn't have happened.'
Neighbour Ced Nortorn, an assistant manager at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, said: 'Mrs Ward was being victimised by local children. It's been a shock.'
Another neighbour, who did not wish to be named for fear of reprisals, said: 'They were always hanging about outside her house and they'd give her cheek.
'There was a gang of them. I've had hassle from them too. There should be an investigation. Someone took the manhole cover and she fell in it. I think that's why she died.'
Another neighbour said: 'They smashed her window once but Mrs Ward said she didn't get it fixed because they'd only do it again.
Police said they were not aware of the antisocial behaviour and have not launched an investigation as the coroner's office did not deem Mrs Ward's death as suspicious.
But they say they are looking into the theft of the manhole cover and urged anyone with information to contact them.
PC Paul Michael said: 'We regularly patrol this area, but we've not been made aware that antisocial behaviour is a particular problem.
'We would encourage residents to report incidents to us so we can provide an appropriate policing response."
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1314825/Pensioner-dies-falls-manhole-trap-set-yobs.html#ixzz10TXvP27b