Man's Mugging of 91-Year-Old Woman Caught on Vid

A 22-year-old man is under arrest after he was caught on video mugging a 91-year-old woman just as she was about to give a large donation to her church.

The Union Leader reports:

Lt. Jim Soucy said an alert security officer at the nearby Currier Museum of Art on Beech Street caught the entire attack on video.

Joseph Audet, 22, of 335 Concord St., is charged with one count of robbery, a felony offense, Soucy said. If he's convicted, he could serve up to seven years in prison, based on the injuries to the woman and her companion.

The victim, who asked not to be named, was on her way into St. Hedwig Catholic Church for a special 4 p.m. Mass in honor of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception Vigil. Sister Frances Marion of the church congregation said the Mass is an annual event in the largely Polish congregation; part of the tradition is to bring a special offering.

"I'm sadden [sc] and sickened," Sister Frances, a nun at the church, told the Union Leader. "Times are tough, but all you have to ask for (is) help ... To take advantage of the elderly, or of children, they're the most vulnerable ... And a lot of the elderly are frightened."