Joy Watson: Woman with dementia struck in the face

A woman with dementia was punched in the face while wearing a badge saying "I have Alzheimer's disease, please be patient."

Joy Watson, 61, was affected by an eye interruption after Sunday's attack in Bridlington, East Yorkshire.

Ms. Watson, of Eccles, Salford, said that a man had attacked her after she told him that he was abusing his dog.

Humberside police confirmed the investigation.

Ms. Watson, recipient of the Points of Light Award from former Prime Minister David Cameron for her volunteer work, was at a roadside cafe having breakfast at around 10:00 am Paris time.

She complained to the man about her treatment of the animal and urged him to be more gentle, but was told that "it does not concern you" .

Ms. Watson stated that she had again warned the man when she saw him put the dog on the seat of his car without a belt.

But the man then insulted her and hit her.

Watson, who was visiting Bridlington to see friends taking part in a bike race, said: "He gave me a huge blow – a huge blow on which I fell and threw against the concrete.

"He left me without knowing if I was alive or not."

Police said the suspect was in his 60s and was wearing fawn and brown clothes.

A spokesman said: "The victim, a 60-year-old from Manchester, saw what she had reported as a man mistreating his dog.

"She confronted the person who would then badault her, leaving her with a head and eye injury that required hospitalization."