Man held over rape of elderly woman in own home

A man has been arrested in connection with the rape of an elderly woman in her own home.

The woman, in her 70s, opened the door to her home in Purley, south London, at 7.50am on Wednesday after becoming aware of a man on her doorstep.

He wedged it open with his foot before forcing his way into the property where he raped and assaulted her, the Metropolitan Police said.

The woman, who is "bravely" helping officers with their investigations, described the suspect as a 5ft 8in white man with short brown hair.

He is believed to have a Scottish accent and a tattoo or mark on his neck, and a circular tattoo on the left side of his chest.

Police arrested a 46-year-old man on suspicion of rape on Saturday, and he remains in police custody.

Detective Inspector Keith Ward, from the Met's Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said the woman was being supported by specialist officers.

He added the he was "totally alive to the fact that an incident like this will cause alarm to people living in the area", and reassured the public that investigators are doing everything they can.