Police appeal after woman in her 80s has handbag stolen in Leven

The lady was walking along William Laing Crescent at around 4.30pm on Sunday, January 31 when a man approached her, pulled her to the ground and stole her bag.

The woman was unhurt but shaken and the man ran off towards Parkhill Primary School on Aitken Street.

Police have reassured the public that this incident and an similar incident on Waggon Road earlier this month are not linked.

The man is described as wearing a ¾ length grey jacket, dark trousers and a dark tammy hat.

Detective Sergeant Alexander Raeside is leading the investigation and said: “We are appealing for the local community to help us identify the person responsible for this callous attack on a defenceless elderly woman.

“Our enquiries have established that both the victim and the man responsible had been in the area of the High Street and Nairn Street a short time before the theft took place, and the man had walked from the direction of Leven Swimming Pool.

“We know there were a number of people in the town centre who may have seen the man before or after the attack, and we want to speak to anyone who recalls seeing someone matching the description or acting in a suspicious manner.

“We are doing everything we can to identify who is responsible and officers are carrying out high visibility patrols in this area to provide further reassurance.

“We understand that the community may have concerns following an earlier robbery in January where a woman’s bag was stolen in Waggon Road – a man has since appeared in court in connection with that incident, and we are not treating the two as linked.”

Anyone with information about Sunday’s robbery should contact Levenmouth CID on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.