THE FAMILY of an elderly Irishman who died months after a 2015 attack have launched a fresh appeal for information.
Tommy Ward, 80, died in February 2016 as a result of the injuries he sustained during the assault in his home in Maltby, Rotherham, almost five months earlier.
The new appeal comes weeks after South Yorkshire Police made a 12th arrest as part of a murder investigation into Mr Ward's death.
'You should be safe in your home'
On Friday, Mr Ward's family launched the new appeal for information in a bid to secure justice over his death.
"We would like anyone who might know of any information about who did this to our dad to please come forward," they said in a statement.
"It might be a minor thing to you, but it could be a major part of catching the person or persons who did this to him.
Mr Ward was a proud second-generation Irishman (Image: File)"We would not want any other families to go through what we have been going through. It's heart-breaking.
"You should be safe in your home, not be beaten and left for dead. We can't imagine how terrified he was.
"We want justice for him. So please do the right thing and come forward. Thank you, Tommy's family."
Investigation
On Thursday, October 1, 2015, Mr Ward was found with life-threatening injuries at his home in Salisbury Road, Maltby.
During the incident, a safety deposit box containing Mr Ward's life savings of around £30,000 in cash was also reportedly taken.
Sadly, Mr Ward — a proud second-generation Irishman — died several months later on Tuesday, February 23, 2016.
It was determined that he died as a result of the injuries he sustained during the assault.
A murder investigation was launched and 11 people were arrested on suspicion of a number of offences, however, all were later released with no further action.
On Monday, August 19, a 36-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of murder.
She has since been bailed pending further enquiries.
Anyone with information that can assist the investigation is asked to contact 101, quoting incident number 202 of September 28, 2020.
Information can also be submitted via a Major Incident Public Portal by clicking here.
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