A man has been arrested over the assault of Penelope Katsavos, 78, who was allegedly punched in the face on the steps of a South Yarra Church on Saturday morning.
Police allege the 26-year-old Box Hill resident assaulted the woman before stealing her shopping trolley which contained personal items.
Ms Katsavos, known to her parish as Kyria Poppy, was opening St Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church in South Yarra when she was allegedly punched in the face, pushed to the ground and kicked.
Horrifying photos showed her sitting on the church steps after she was fund by a worker cleaning the street.
She was rushed to hospital.
READ MORE: Police release footage associated to alleged attack on parishioner Penelope Katsavos
“She can’t wait to return home,” her son Evripides Katsavos told Neos Kosmos adding that she is certainly improving and doing much better than expected.
“She will need a few more days in hospital to recover her mobility, but otherwise she is doing well.”
The man who allegedly assaulted the woman is charged with assault and theft offences.
The trolley belonging to the woman was found in a nearby street with personal items intact.
