Police probing 2015 murder of 80-year-old army veteran who died after he was beaten by robbers in his own home during break-in arrest woman, 36

Police officers probing the murder of an army veteran who was beaten to death by robbers during a break in have arrested a woman almost nine years on.

Great-grandfather Tommy Ward, 80, suffered a smashed skull, broken ribs and fractured jaw in an attack in his home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, in October 2015.

His £30,000 life savings were stolen during the robbery and he died four months after the order took place.

After his death in February 2016, a murder investigation was launched and ten men and one woman were arrested on suspicion of a number of offenses.

But they were later released with no further action and South Yorkshire Police then launched another fresh appeal for information in October last year.

Now, in a major new development, the force confirmed today that a 36-year-old woman from Rotherham had been arrested on suspicion of murder.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: ‘A 36-year-old woman from Rotherham has been arrested on suspicion of murder.’

Tommy was an ex-miner, who did National Service with the Norfolk Regiment and the Northumberland Fusiliers.

A shocking photo of the pensioner lying in bed with horrific wounds across his face, neck and chest was released at the time of the incident.

A safe, identical to the one in which he kept his savings, was found dumped in a canal around two weeks after the attack but it was empty.

Four men were arrested on suspicion of murder over the course of the investigation and have all been released without charge.

In February 2017, detectives working on the murder probe released CCTV footage of a car which pulled into Tommy’s street at around the time they believe he was attacked.

The car – a Saab 93 – pulled onto the street at 5.15am and is then later seen on the CCTV footage doing a U-turn and driving off. There is a 25-minute period for which the car is unaccounted.

On the fourth anniversary of Tommy’s death, his daughter Jackie Perry urged people to come forward with information so ‘she can have justice.’

She said: ‘We are still no wiser who did this. Someone must know. Please just come forward so we can have justice. Please help us and share these photos.

‘I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through this, it’s heartbreaking so perhaps it might pull at someone’s heartstrings and come forward.’