Pensioner dies of heart attack from shock of doorstep robbery

Margaret Hawkins, a widower, was reporting the second incident to police officers when she collapsed with a suspected heart attack and was rushed to hospital.

A post-mortem carried out at the Princess Royal University Hospital revealed that Mrs Hawkins, who was in her 80s, died as a direct result of the incident.

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Acting detective Chief Inspector Russell Taylor from the homicide and serious crime command unit said: "Margaret was an extremely popular woman and her tragic death has understandably left the local community shocked."

Two men are believed to have targeted Mrs Hawkins at her semi-detached bungalow in a leafy street in Orpington, Kent, on Friday.

Neighbour Susan Hughes, 60, said: "The two men went up to the house and said they had a present for Alice, Margaret said there was no Alice here but they pushed their way in. Previously to that, two men had pushed their way in saying something about a fence, and before this another two men had rung the doorbell but she refused to answer.

"After the men left on Friday she phoned the police and one of my neighbours went to sit with her. Margaret was sitting talking to the police telling them what had happened when she keeled over with a heart attack. It is so sad they targeted her because she was quite vulnerable.

"In the 18 years I have lived here I have never seen anything like this happen."

Another neighbour whose mother was with Mrs Hawkins when she collapsed said: "The two men shouted out something about a gift and then went in and took her bank details.

"I went over to see if she was OK, she was sitting up and talking. I came back home but apparently she then slumped in her chair as she was talking to police. It is a disgrace."

Mrs Hawkins' next door neighbour Bernard Horsham, 57, said the pensioner had been badly shaken by the previous robberies at her home.

Mrs Hawkins was understood to have relatives in New Zealand. Her husband, Fred, died some years ago and the couple had no children.

Local vicar Jay Colwill at Christchurch, Orpington said: "Margaret was living alone, but we have a very good network of support and she used to pop into the church for our lunch club."

The Metropolitan police have launched a murder investigation into her death, although they refused to give further details of how she died.

A spokesman said: "The police were called at approximately 2pm on Friday to the robbery of an elderly woman at her home in Charterhouse Road, Orpington.

"It appears two men had forced their way into her home and pushed the victim onto a sofa before making off with personal property.

"Shortly after the robbery the victim's condition deteriorated and she was taken by ambulance to a Kent hospital."

The two male suspects are white, around 40-years-old and tall. The first was described as very heavily built, with dark brown hair, while the second was well built with light coloured hair.