"Nun, 72, tells of mugging"

From the Telegraph
By Richard Savill

Photo at left: Sister Lorna at St Mary's Convent, Wantage, Oxfordshire after being mugged in the street speaks of her ordeal Photo: SWNS

Sister Lorna, 72, was just yards from the door of her convent when the robber stole her handbag in broad daylight.

But the man, in his 20s, only escaped with an umbrella and a bus timetable because Sister Lorna had hidden her purse, which contained £12 for the collection, in her habit.

She said: "I was shocked. I am 72 years old and I cannot walk very fast any more. I was frightened he might come back."

She added: "Luckily the thief did not get my purse. Years ago I would put it in my handbag but because muggings are becoming common I started putting it in my pocket. I suppose it is a sign of the times that even nuns are not safe."

Sister Lorna has been a nun at St Mary's Convent, Wantage, Oxon, for 37 years helping drug addicts, homeless people and reformed criminals in the community.

Last Tuesday she went for a walk in a park and sensed she was being followed.

"As I walked through a small wooded area I was aware that someone was watching me. I held my bag a little tighter and walked on.

"I didn't look round but decided to cut through to a main road between a row of houses. I was a few yards down the snicket when I felt someone come up behind me and snatch my bag from my arm.

"I let go immediately and watched him run off down the path and round the corner."

Sister Lorna, who once worked as a missionary nurse in South Africa, said of the robber: "I just feel sorry for him and wish this chap no ill-feeling.

"What I find the saddest part of all this is that the man who mugged me was probably the sort of person I try and help."