A “defenceless” 80-year-old Fife woman was ripped to the ground and robbed.
Police are appealing for information in the wake of the “callous” attack on the pensioner in Leven at the weekend.
The octogenarian was walking on William Laing Crescent on Sunday when she was tackled without warning and robbed of her handbag.
Her brazen attacker struck in broad daylight at 4.30pm on Sunday.
The man approached her, pulled her to the ground and stole her bag.
Officers confirmed the woman was unhurt but shaken as the assailant ran off towards Parkhill Primary School on Aitken Street.
Detective Sergeant Alexander Raeside who is leading the investigation said the despicable thief was wearing a three-quarter length grey jacket, dark trousers and a dark tammy hat.
“We are appealing for the local community to help us identify the person responsible for this callous attack on a defenceless elderly woman,” he said.
“Our enquiries have established that both the victim and the man responsible had been in the area of the High Street and Nairn Street a short time before the theft took place, and the man had walked from the direction of Leven Swimming Pool.
“We know there were a number of people in the town centre who may have seen the man before or after the attack, and we want to speak to anyone who recalls seeing someone matching the description or acting in a suspicious manner.
“We are doing everything we can to identify who is responsible and officers are carrying out high visibility patrols in this area to provide further reassurance.
“We understand that the community may have concerns following an earlier robbery in January where a woman’s bag was stolen in Waggon Road a man has since appeared in court in connection with that incident, and we are not treating the two as linked.”
Anyone with information about Sunday’s robbery should contact Levenmouth CID on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.