Family of 76-year-old Dorothy Cooper who was carjacked appeal for help

Dorothy Cooper

The family of 76-year-old Dorothy Cooper, who was carjacked and hit by her own car, have appealed for the public’s help to find out exactly what happened.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/102464/76yearold-woman-carjacked-and-run-over-by-her-own-car

Police have arrested a 45-year-old man on suspicion of a section 18 assault, however they are keen to stress that the investigation is still in its very early stages and much more information is still needed.

Matthew Cooper, Dorothy's grandson, and his wife Aimee Cooper have issued the following statement: "First and foremost I would like to thank the police, the public and family and friends for all of their help and support.

“In particular we would like to thank the people who helped my grandma when this first happened.

“One lady gave her a blanket and calmed her down and made sure all of her belongings were with her when she got in the ambulance, thank you so much, your help means so much.

“My grandma is a very strong lady she has gone through a very difficult couple of years, losing her son and her husband and just when she was back on her feet, someone has quite literally knocked her down.

“She is in a very serious condition and has a long road to recovery, the injuries she's sustained would be difficult for a young and healthy person to overcome.

“All we want now is for my grandma to get better and for anyone who has any information or saw anything, no matter how small to please, get in touch with the police.”

Detective Inspector Ian Harratt from GMP’s Oldham Division said: “This is one of the worst incidents I have had to investigate in a very long time.

"My thoughts are with the Dorothy and her family. We are doing all that we can to support them all.

"We are appealing for anyone who may have seen the incident or the car in the Royton and Rochdale areas or may know the man responsible to come and talk to police.

"We have made an arrest, however our investigation is not over and I don’t want the public to think that we have found our man, so we don’t need to hear from them. We really do.

"We know that a man and a woman were in the car park just before the incident, and possibly spoke to the man before he stole the car and hit Dorothy. We really want to speak to these people.

"Any information, no matter how small could be vital in our investigation.

“I am determined to bring this man to justice, how someone can do this to anyone, never mind a 76-year-old lady, I will never know.”

Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 8906 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.