An elderly Australian woman is in hospital after a brutal assault in Sydney.
Early on Saturday afternoon, 84-year-old Patricia was found seriously injured in the bedroom of her retirement village home.
She had returned to her unit to find a strange man in her room, New South Wales Police wrote on Facebook.
The man then assaulted her before fleeing out the door, leaving her badly beaten.
She remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Police shared a picture of Patricia in hospital, appealing to the public for information on her attacker.
Police described the attack as "appalling and cowardly".
"Let me assure you these types of offences are uncommon and police are doing everything in their power to fully investigate this matter and locate the offender," detective chief inspector Luke Spurr told media on Sunday.
Police are appealing to the public for any information which could help locate Patricia's attacker.
He is described as being between 30 and 50, with a medium build, dark hair and clean-shaven - possibly of Asian appearance.
