Arrest over theft from dead patient

Mr Webster suffered a heart attack

A hospital patient was arrested over allegations he stole from a man just minutes after he died.

Alfred Webster, 68, from Blackley, Manchester, suffered a heart attack and died at North Manchester General Hospital last month.

A nurse at the hospital allegedly spotted a fellow patient rifling through his belongings just after he died.

Security officers were called in and the police were notified.

A spokeswoman for Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: "Staff on duty at the time became suspicious and challenged a patient.

"Security and police were contacted and the man was arrested following confirmation by a doctor that he was fit to be discharged."

Mr Webster died suddenly from a heart attack after being admitted to the hospital in Crumpsall for treatment on an arthritic hip.

Ongoing inquiries

Mr Webster's sister Lillian Smiles said she was shocked when she was told about the alleged theft.

She said: "I couldn't really come to terms with it at the time - I couldn't believe what I was being told.

"It's bad enough to lose a loved one unexpectedly like that, but this just makes it much worse."

Mr Webster died suddenly from a heart attack after being admitted to the hospital in Crumpsall for treatment on an arthritic hip.

A Greater Manchester Police spokeswoman said officers attended the hospital on 18 April and arrested a 35-year-old man on suspicion of attempted theft.

He was released on bail and inquiries are ongoing.