A 92-year-old woman is in hospital with multiple injuries after being attacked at her Lincolnshire home on Wednesday.
The victim was robbed of her pension money in the communal hallway of her home on Church Street in Gainsborough.
Police say the woman was followed into the building by a white man in his late teens or early twenties. He is described as about 6ft with dark hair.
The woman was taken to Lincoln County Hospital with a head wound and a broken arm where she remains.
Insp Dick Holmes from Lincolnshire Police says the attack was sickening.
"This was a despicable attack on a defenceless elderly member of the community.
"The violence used, resulting in the injuries she suffered, was totally over the top," he said.
The woman's handbag contained around £80 cash, bank cards and other personal items.