A 100-year-old British woman of Polish origin died on Wednesday after suffering multiple injuries including a broken neck when she was mugged and her bag stolen in a brazen street crime, police said.

Zofija Kaczan was approached from behind and pushed to the ground in the Normanton area of Derby on May 28, the BBC reported.

Derbyshire Police previously thought her injuries were not life-threatening and she was recovering.

A 39-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of robbery before she died and was released on Tuesday.

Detective Chief Inspector Darren De’ath, who is leading the investigation, said: “This crime is absolutely horrific.

“Mrs Kaczan was a well-loved member of the community and that she was targeted in this way is disgusting.

“There are people in Derby who know the person responsible for this crime and I would urge them to come forward with any information that can help bring those responsible to justice.

De’ath added: “We have a number of leads that we are pursuing and a post-mortem will take place to determine a cause of death.”

Kaczan died early today.

She is reported to have been a widower and former factory worker who moved to the UK from Poland with her husband following World War II.

The devout Catholic had celebrated her 100th birthday with a party at her home, The Sun newspaper reported.

She had been on her way to a Polish church just over a week before when she was attacked.

Her friends Monika Zareba and Maria Wojtczak said before she died: “You didn’t think something like this could happen to old people.

“It shouldn’t happen. We can’t believe it… shocked.”

Police had appealed for witnesses because Mrs Kaczan was not able to give a description of the person or people responsible.

Her green handbag, partially damaged, was found dumped a few hundred yards away from the scene of the crime.

Her neighbours said they feared that Kaczan may have had up to 1,000 pounds in the bag because she had received an electricity bill for around 900 pounds. The bill was found intact in the handbag recovered by the police.

A beige Seat Leon was seen in the area at the time of the attack and found abandoned two days later in a car park, the report said.

Police want to hear from anyone who may have information about the driver of the vehicle, or if they have CCTV or dash cam footage that shows the vehicle with registration plate SL02 KVZ.