Man steals dying lorry crash victim's purse in Greater Manchester, England

England's Greater Manchester Police yesterday appealed to the public for information to track down a man who stole a woman's purse after she was fatally injured by a lorry.

Police were alerted to the collision between the truck and the 82-year-old woman, in the town of Leigh, at approximately 1145 UTC on Wednesday. The woman died at the scene, in what one nearby resident called "a horrible thing to have happened". Witnesses subsequently told police a man stole the victim's purse in the aftermath of the crash.

"This is one of the most disgusting crimes I have ever investigated and I find it hard to believe someone could stoop so low to commit such a horrific offence," said detective Sergeant Neil Lawless. "This man has taken what he sees as an easy opportunity by stealing a purse from a dying woman. I am sure the community will be equally disgusted and I appeal to anyone who may have seen this man take the purse and walk off on Leigh Road. There are a number of rumours circulating on social media at the moment but I would like to reassure residents we are doing all we can to find out who is responsible." Meanwhile, website Wigan Today has claimed witnesses and an unnamed Greater Manchester Police source informed it some nearby pedestrians took pictures of her body following the crash, although the official police statement does not directly address these claims.

Sergeant Lawless has asked members of the public to contact police with any information that may be relevant to the investigation. Greater Manchester Police describe the thief as white, of medium build, aged between 30 and 40, and six feet in height. The police force say he "had a dark brown beard, [and] wore a light grey hooded top with the hood pulled over his head, light blue jeans and black boot style training shoes."