Kirkby Times reported on the case of Annie Sanderson, a local vulnerable pensioner left to die in a slum tower block here in Kirkby. Annie was found dead only after her pension book was used by a local heroin addict, Ian West, who was caught using the book in the Town Centre Post Office here in Kirkby. The Police called up on Annie only to find her, according to the Echo's first report 'slumped behind the door', the latest Echo article states that 'her body was lying in the living room' and also that the front door was 'insecure with marks around the lock'. It was initially reported that Annie may have lain there dead for up to a week.

Ian West claimed to have 'found' Annie's handbag.

Ian West, who was caught red handed trying to cash the dead woman's pension book, was initially arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. The charge was later dropped after West claimed to have 'found' the dead pensioners handbag and had 'tried to return it to her. Do you believe that? The odds of anyone actually burgling the flat then throwing away the handbag with a pension book still inside, is approaching fantasy, but either way, West stuck to his story - he claimed to have just found the handbag on the landing of Oak Tower - he could hardly deny trying to cash the pension book as he was witnessed by several alert staff in the post office plus caught on CCTV.

Some despicable lowlife burgled the flat and perhaps frightened this poor old lady to death, but we'll never know what happened, the powers that be are not interested, but bet your life if some VIP had suffered the same fate, the matter would not be as easily dropped. But how much was Annie's life worth to the politicians?

10 months - should have been 10 years.

West appeared in Court last week, he was charged with trying to obtain money by deception, and was given a lousy 10 month sentence for stealing a pensioner's money. Given the circumstances in which West stole the money, the sentence of 10 months is an insult. The message it sends out is clear - stealing off the elderly, even if they lay dead in their homes, is only likely to take the offender off the streets for a few months. For West, this will likely mean going back on benefits - top rates - and back to some other community - let's hope he doesn't come back here. We hope Knowsley Housing Trust will be more careful in housing heroin addicts with OAP's - but to be frank, the Housing Trust had every opportunity to perhaps prevent this sad death - West was apparently squatting the Flats as many addicts and dealers have over the years.

Knowsley Council, heroin addicts and OAP's.

The Council, the former landlords, had a simple policy of moving in heroin addicts, many believe this was to drive tenants out in preparation for selling off land when the Tower Blocks were demolished. It happened in Westvale with Mercer Heights (4 Tower Blocks) - and it happened with the four tower Blocks on Roughwood Drive where Annie lived. It could happen to Quarry Green heights and Gaywood Green (there's been 2 murders in Gaywood green in recent times) - the last 8 remaining tower blocks which are rumoured to be coming down in 5 years or so. KHT have been less than helpful to tenants in Annie's block who tried to restore order to the situation prior to her death. This is an absolute disgrace and heads should have rolled amongst those in Knowsley Housing Trust who could have acted yet chose to sat back and let tenant's lives be destroyed. As if that isn't enough, KHT charged tenants for security and concierge. George Howarth our local MP as well as local Councillors seem to think that by ignoring this matter it will make it go away. It won't. EVERY councillor was emailed about Annie death - the replies? - Not one. This shows how out of touch they are - it also shows how gutless they are when they put their own political self interests before the people they are supposed to represent.

Knowsley Council, despite their bragging about being an 'e council' are pretty useless at responding by e-mail with only a few Councillors who actually know how to email - the rest likely computer illiterate. So far some 400 odd e-mails to Knowsley Council have been simply ignored.

RIP to Annie Sanderson. Most of us here were sickened to read about the Court Sentence, a small article appeared in the Echo, George Bests kidney got a bigger write up - this is from a paper which is supposedly local but is in fact owned by Trinity Holdings which likes its politics kept safe. That means the Echo journalists mentioning the 'capital of culture' 50 times an issue and NOT reporting on the massive level of crime which affects the less attractive areas. It means that the death of an OAP soon becomes yesterday's news.