An 81-year-old man, driven by desperation after a terminal cancer diagnosis, attempted to rob an elderly woman to gather funds for his own funeral, a court was informed today.
Edwin Morrison, masquerading as a council employee, forced his way into the home of a 95-year-old woman. Once inside, he tied her up and demanded money.
The victim, Mary Morgan, recounted the terrifying ordeal, describing it as chaotic and life-threatening, saying, “I thought it was the end for me,” as she struggled to breathe under his grip.
Remarkably, Morrison’s attack was interrupted when Morgan’s mobile hairdresser arrived for a scheduled visit, prompting him to flee without any loot.
In court, it was revealed that Morrison’s desperate act stemmed from a sense of self-preservation rather than malice, following an unsuccessful crowdfunding attempt to cover his funeral expenses.
Morrison, at the age of 80, was observed surveying homes in the Little Hulton area of Salford on the morning of January 27, according to statements in Manchester Crown Court.
He knew some of the homes as he used to work as a courier delivering medications for a pharmacy, said Rob Smith, prosecuting.
He told the pensioner that he wanted to discuss bin collections being changed to a different day before going inside.
Edwin Morrison, 81, admitted attempted robbery over the attack in which a 95-year-old woman was strangled and tied up
Mary Morgan, 95, said Edwin Morrison left her ‘gasping for breath’ in the attack, adding : ‘I thought it was the end for me.’
Morrison then ‘put his hands round her throat’ and demanded: ‘Give me your money.’
He used cable ties to bind Mrs Morgan’s hands together, and when she complained they were too tight, he told her: ‘Shut up! Where’s your purse?’
However the elderly robber was disturbed by a hairdresser who arrived at Mrs Morgan’s address for her weekly appointment.
She initially thought he was a friend of the victim and assumed it was a ‘joke’ when Mrs Morgan shouted: ‘Get the police.’
It was only when Mrs Morgan showed how her hands tied together that she attempted to raise the alarm, the court heard, prompting Morrison to try to ‘trap’ both women in the house.
But the hairdresser was able to shut a glass door behind Morrison and phone police.
Morrison then fled in his car but was traced to his home address and later arrested, telling officers: ‘I did it.’
Morrison (pictured) was driven by motivation which was ‘altruistic rather than malicious’, his barrister told a court
Victim Mary Morgan (pictured) has been left feeling ‘unsafe in my own home’, she said
Earlier, the court heard how Morrison had been diagnosed with untreatable renal cancer in late 2024 and had also developed serous cardiac issues.
He had set up a GoFundMe Page to raise money for his funeral costs, without success.
Morrison was also a regular gambler and would bet between £50 and £80 each time, Mr Smith said, but he denied being in debt.
In a victim personal statement, Mrs Morgan said the incident had caused a loss of confidence and she was now more ‘anxious, confused and forgetful’.
‘I feel unsafe in my own home,’ she said.
‘I’m like a prisoner and I can’t go outside.’
She added: ‘I thought I was going to die that day and thank my hairdresser for coming in and disturbing him.’
Morrison, of Worsley, admitted one charge of attempted robbery at an earlier hearing.
Nick Clarke, defending, admitted Morrison was a ‘gambler’ but he said he wasn’t ‘looking to steal money to repay a debt’.
He said Morrison’s life had been on a downward spiral since he spit from his previous partner and he was forced to quit work at the age of 75, causing a decline in his physical health.
Morrison had also been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and an enlarged prostate.
Depression also led to him wanting to take his own life and he had stopped eating at one point.
Morrison hadn’t wanted to be a ‘burden’ on his family, Mr Clarke said, and didn’t want them having to pay the costs of his funeral after his ‘unsuccessful’ online fundraising attempt.
He said Morrison had committed the attempted robbery for ‘selfish’ and ‘self-centred’ reasons but he was ‘remorseful’.
‘He’s someone who expects to die in prison,’ Mr Clarke added.
‘His motivation was altruistic rather than malicious.’
Morrison, who has no previous convictions, was remanded back into custody and will be sentenced on April 15.
Speaking afterwards, Mrs Morgan said Morrison had behaved ‘like a madman’.
‘He said he was from the council and it was about the bins and they were changing it from a Tuesday collection to a Thursday.
‘In the next breath, he said “Shall we go and have a chat” and he came past me.
‘The next thing all hell broke loose and he got my throat and I’m gasping for breath.
‘I said, to him: “Let me breath, I can’t breathe.”
‘But he said: “Where’s your money?” He was like a madman.
‘It was awful.’
She added: ‘I thought it was the end for me.’
