POLICE have arrested a 36-year-old man in connection with the theft of debit card details from an elderly woman in hospital shortly before she died. The theft was only discovered after the death of Rose Donnelly, aged 82, of Fiveacres, London Colney, in

POLICE have arrested a 36-year-old man in connection with the theft of debit card details from an elderly woman in hospital shortly before she died.

The theft was only discovered after the death of Rose Donnelly, aged 82, of Fiveacres, London Colney, in Hemel Hempstead Hospital on June 2.

When her family went through her belongings they found letters from various firms containing receipts for items she had allegedly bought while she was in hospital.

They included purchases such as basketball boots and products from an Ann Summers shop which she would never have made.

Mrs Donnelly's granddaughter Louise Garden passed the information on to police when she realised the items had been purchased online and sent to a named person at a Hemel Hempstead address.

But they told her it was up to the bank to recover the money as it was not the family's loss and the bank would need to contact the police about it. Subsequently a spokesperson for Barclays Bank questioned why the police were not being proactive as it was beyond the bank's remit to carry out an investigation into the identity of the thief.

A police spokesperson confirmed this week that a 36-year-old man from Hemel Hempstead had been arrested and released on police bail until October 16.