A man who was found guilty of manslaughter twenty years after the event thanks to advances in DNA technology has been sentenced to eighteen years in jail.
Junior Young, 39, of no fixed address, has been jailed for causing the death of pensioner Hilda Lockert in Brixton in 2001. He was also given five years for robbery, which will be served at the same time as the other sentence.
Ms Lockert was coming home on Overton Road on April 30, 2001, when Young robbed her. She broke her knee in the attack, needing an operation. She developed a blood clot in hospital and died on May 15, 2001 – her 86th birthday.
At the time of the attack, the lack of CCTV, witnesses or a strong evidential match via forensic analysis meant that Young was not convicted of the crime.
However, as part of a review in 2015, DNA samples from Ms Lockert’s shopping bag were re-examined, using an extremely sensitive method and specialised software. The scientist carrying out the examination concluded that the DNA sample was a billion times more likely to have come from Young, Ms Lockert and another unrelated person than her and two other unrelated people.
In a statement read at court, Hilda’s nephew Brian Bullock said: “We were devastated when my aunt was killed.
“I can’t tell you what it was like walking into that hospital ward and seeing what they had done to her. My aunt was a proud lady and refused to show me the bruises. I remember her asking me why her, why did they do this to her. I didn’t know what to say to her. What do you say, how do you explain that she was probably attacked as she was too old to defend herself.
“We miss her terribly, even after all this time, she had many years left to live.”
Medical experts concluded there was a “clear medical and real causal relationship” between the fracture to Hilda’s knee and her death.
Detective Chief Inspector Richard Leonard, from Specialist Crime, said: “We are very pleased that Young will finally face the consequences of his actions and that Hilda’s family have now seen justice served.
“Hilda’s life was cruelly taken away for the sake of a few pounds and the impact of her sudden death has had a significant impact on those who knew and loved her. She has never been forgotten.
“We hope this case demonstrates that we will never give up trying to identify those responsible for heinous crimes of this nature. We will continue to do all we can so that more families like Hilda’s get justice for their loved ones, no matter how much time has passed.”