A 90-year-old woman is seriously ill in hospital after being assaulted in her bed.

Iris Warner was discovered by her son Jeffrey at her home in Brent, north-west London, and was slipping in and out of consciousness, police said.

Concerns are mounting about a rise in violent crime, including a spate of attacks against older people.

On Wednesday, Zofija Kaczan, 100, died after her neck was broken during a robbery in Derby. Last week, a man was jailed for attacking Jim Booth, 96, with a claw hammer in November.

Warner told police she remembered being woken up by a man standing over her and being struck in the face multiple times.

Her son said: “We are shocked and appalled at the violence used against our mother Iris, better known as Anne to her friends and family – a defenceless 90-year-old-woman. It has left us feeling stunned and sickened.”

Images of the severe bruising sustained by Warner have been released by her son and daughter as they appealed for the public to come forward with information.

Scotland Yard said Warner’s bedroom had been left in a “messy manner”, but police have yet to establish whether anything was stolen.

The attack is believed to have taken place at some point between Saturday and Monday.

DI Saj Hussain said: “This was a horrific attack carried out on a very vulnerable elderly woman in her own home and must have been absolutely terrifying for Iris. She has various medical complications on top of the injuries sustained in the assault that are likely to keep her in hospital for a very long time.”