Praise for members of the public who assisted after elderly woman assaulted
Detectives have praised members of the public who came to the assistance of an elderly woman in a wheelchair after she was subjected to an unprovoked assault in Poole.
At around 8.45pm on Friday 19 September 2025 the victim, who was 89 at the time, was leaving a restaurant with her son in Haven Road and was in a wheelchair due to a recent hip operation.
A man appeared carrying a large wooden bat and lunged towards the woman, pushing her to the ground and causing her to fall out of her wheelchair.
Members of the public immediately came to the woman’s aid and assisted in apprehending the offender prior to police arriving minutes later.
Miroslaw Kochaniec, aged 46 and of Bournemouth, was arrested at the scene and subsequently charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm.
The victim was taken to hospital and treated for injuries to her face and head as well as her fingers and swelling to her knee. It was subsequently reported she had sustained a bleed to her brain.
Kochaniec appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court on Tuesday 5 May 2026, where he was sentenced to two years and six months in prison.
Detective Constable Charlotte Bailey, of BCP CID, said: “This was a completely unprovoked assault on a vulnerable elderly woman that has had a lasting physical and emotional impact on the victim.
“I want to thank members of the public who came to her aid following the incident and also assisted in detaining the offender, which ensured he was promptly arrested and could be held accountable for his actions.”
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