A man found guilty of manslaughter thanks to advances in DNA technology has been sentenced to 18 years in jail.
Junior Young, 39, of no fixed address, was jailed for killing pensioner Hilda Lockert in Brixton in 2001.
He was also sentenced to five years for robbery, to be served concurrently.
Hilda was seriously injured after being robbed by Young as she approached the front door of her home at Langport House, Overton Road, SW9 on 30 April 2001.
The incident left her with a fractured knee which required an operation.
While in hospital she developed a blood clot and died on 15 May 2001, on her 86th birthday.
At the time of the attack, there was no CCTV, no witnesses and forensic analysis did not provide a strong evidential match.
As part of a review in 2015, DNA samples from Hilda’s shopping bag were re-examined, using an extremely sensitive method and specialised software.
The scientist carrying out the examination concluded that the DNA sample was 1 billion times more likely to have come from Young, Hilda and another unrelated person than Hilda and two other unrelated people.
In an impact statement read at court, Hilda’s nephew Brian Bullock, said: “We were devastated when my aunt was killed.
“I can’t tell you what it was like walking into that hospital ward and seeing what they had done to her.
“My aunt was a proud lady and refused to show me the bruises.
“I remember her asking me why her, why did they do this to her.
“I didn’t know what to say to her. What do you say, how do you explain that she was probably attacked as she was too old to defend herself.
“We miss her terribly, even after all this time, she had many years left to live.”
Medical experts concluded there was a “clear medical and real causal relationship” between the fracture to Hilda’s knee and her death.
Detective Chief Inspector Richard Leonard, from Specialist Crime, said: “We are very pleased that Young will finally face the consequences of his actions and that Hilda’s family have now seen justice served.
“Hilda’s life was cruelly taken away for the sake of a few pounds and the impact of her sudden death has had a significant impact on those who knew and loved her.
“She has never been forgotten.
“We hope this case demonstrates that we will never give up trying to identify those responsible for heinous crimes of this nature.
“We will continue to do all we can so that more families like Hilda’s get justice for their loved ones, no matter how much time has passed.”
