Elderly woman bashed in mall

An 86-year-old woman is expected to spend "a number of days" in hospital after being mugged in Christchurch's Barrington Mall last night.

The pensioner was about to get into her car after buying milk when a man grabbed her handbag from behind, said Detective Sergeant Ross Tarawhiti.

She tried to hang on to the bag but was thrown to the ground by the force of the man ripping it away from her.

The man then jumped the mall's boundary fence and ran across the Barrington Park and into an alleyway leading into Sugden St.

Witnesses in a nearby car chased the man but lost him as he left the park.

The woman suffered cuts to her head, a fractured pelvis, and numerous bruises.

Mr Tarawhiti said she was "very traumatised" and expected to be in hospital for a number of days.

The attacker was described as Maori, aged 20-30, very slim, about 1.88m tall, with long black or brown shoulder-length hair.

He was wearing a grey sweatshirt, blue pants - possibly jeans - and white trainers.

- NZPA