Cutting-edge DNA technology has led to a man being convicted of killing a 85-year-old South East London woman over 20 years after her death.
Advances in technology have lead to the conviction of Junior Young, 39, of no fixed address, of the manslaughter of Hilda Lockert in April 2001.
She died after being robbed outside of her own front door on Overton Road in Brixton. Young was also found guilty of robbery.
Hilda was approaching her front door at Langport House when she was grabbed from behind by her coat and bag, leading to her falling heavily to the ground while two men searched her coat pockets.
They stole her bag of shopping, her bus pass and her wallet, which contained just £15.
She suffered multiple injuries in the fall, including a fractured knee, and had an operation in hospital. She passed away on her 86th birthday, May 15, that year after developing a blood clot.
An initial investigation led to Young’s arrest on June 5 2001, but he denied any involvement. At the time, forensic analysis found limited evidence from Hilda’s shopping bag and coat that Young was there, but it was not enough to proceed with charges against him.
However, the bag was re-examined in a review in 2015 using specialised software. The results concluded that the DNA sample was one billion times more likely to have come from Young, Hilda and another unrelated person than Hilda and two other unrelated people.
Detective Chief Inspector Richard Leonard, from Specialist Crime, said: “Up until this attack, Hilda had been a very independent woman who continued to do all of her own shopping and housework.
“Due to her age and the fact she was alone, Young saw her as an easy target and had no regard for the injuries he might cause when he violently robbed her.
“Hilda’s sudden death left her family and those who knew her distraught but she has never been forgotten, thanks in part to them naming a street in Brixton after her.
“Similarly we in the Met have never stopped fighting for justice for Hilda, despite the passage of time. We are pleased that thanks to advances in science Young now faces a significant custodial sentence and we hope this acts as a reminder to others who think they have evaded justice that we will not give up in our quest to find them.”
Young will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on Monday, December 20.