Elderly woman attacked with crowbar by man caught trying to open church donation box

An elderly woman was attacked with a crowbar after she caught a man trying to force open a church donation box in Armagh, it has emerged.

A 45-year-old man has been charged in connection with the incident and is due before Lisburn Magistrates tomorrow.

The woman - who is aged in her 70s - has been left shaken and bruised after the incident, which happened at St Patrick's Church in Portadown last Friday afternoon.

It is understood the man seen with the donation box also demanded money from the woman.

At first, the lady refused to hand over her purse, but when the man struck her with the crowbar, she gave him a sum of cash.