South Yorkshire detectives renew appeal for information over 'horrific act of violence' which killed OAP

Tommy Ward, aged 80, was ‘viciously’ attacked in his home in Salisbury Road, Maltby, Rotherham, five years ago today.

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The former soldier and miner died in hospital four months later after suffering a fractured skull, broken ribs and broken jaw and never recovering.

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A safe containing Mr Ward’s £30,000 life savings was also stolen.

A number of arrests have been made over the years, with suspects held on suspicion of murder, robbery and aggravated burglary but nobody has yet been charged.

To mark the anniversary of the attack which ultimately claimed Mr Ward’s life, Detective Inspector Lee Nesbeth, the deputy senior investigating officer in the case, said: “This was a vicious attack on a defenceless, elderly man, which ultimately resulted in him losing his life.

"Tommy’s death sent shockwaves throughout the Maltby community, which is incredibly tight-knit, and we have worked unrelentingly over the last five years to identify those responsible for this crime.

“I want to remind the public of this horrific act of violence on the five-year anniversary of that first phone call to emergency services, and I’m appealing to anyone out there that may still hold information about what happened to come forward.

“There are individuals out there who know what happened to Tommy and there are still people yet to talk to police about what they know.

“I’d ask those people to think about Tommy’s family – his loved ones, his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They have fought for five years for answers, to find out what happened to him. They are desperate to know why someone would want to harm Tommy.

“This remains an active investigation with specially trained officers in regular contact with Tommy’s family.

“Those officers and I want to give his family the answers they rightly deserve, to get some justice for their loved one.

Anyone with information about the case should call South Yorkshire Police on 101 and quote new reference number 202 of September 28, 2020.

Crimestoppers can also be contacted, anonymously, on 0800 555111.

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