A pensioner who was beaten up during a brutal robbery has died. It is not known if the attack 15 months ago contributed to his death.

Arthur Chew was sleeping in his home in Kent Avenue, Minster, Sheppey, when balaclava-clad thugs burst into his living room in October 2020.

They beat him black and blue and then robbed him of £600 savings after ransacking his home.

The grandfather of five, who suffered with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which made it difficult for him to breathe, was left with a black eye and covered in bruises.

Kind-hearted friends later rallied round and redecorated his home in their own version of the TV show DIY SOS in May last year for a surprise birthday treat.

Mr Chew, a father-of-two, died on Saturday. He was 76.

Neighbour Kieran Payne said: "He was one very kind and caring man. Every Monday we'd share breakfast and put the world to rights. I always looked up to him but he never let me make the tea. He said my tea was rubbish. So I took cakes instead. He will leave a very big gap. I will miss him dearly."

The house revamp was organised by strongman Rocky Troina who runs Bring Every Kind Smiles (BEKS) from his home in Newnham Street, Chatham. He said: "When I heard about Arthur's story I could not let it go. So I knocked on his door and said I would help get his money back."

He raised £700 to replace the stolen cash and organised a team of builders to redecorate Mr Chew's bungalow for free. They also installed new carpets.

Mr Troina said: "Only this Christmas, I had Father Christmas go to his home with me and we took food and hampers for him. I loved Arthur. He captured many hearts. He was a lovely gentleman. God bless him, he will be sadly missed."

Mr Chew was reunited with his estranged son Steven following the robbery. He said: "I'm glad we got back in touch following the newspaper article. We were getting on well. It's so sad it had to end this way. I don't think the attack helped him. It was not a nice experience."

Andrew McNair, 28, of Warden Bay Road, was jailed for five years and four months in May after admitting robbing Mr Chew. Since the raid, Mr Chew needed his own oxygen supply 24-hours a day.

He said at the time: “I was never like that before. I used to get a taxi and go to Minster Working Men’s Club or Sheerness Golf Club for a pint. Now I get breathless at my front door.”

He added: “I don’t suppose he will have to do all that time but I think he should. It was a brutal attack. He punched me in the face while I slept in my chair and then when I was on the ground another one kept kneeling on me.

“McNair kept coming back and smacking me in the face. There was nothing I could do. I couldn’t move. It lasted 15 minutes but it seemed like three hours. He ransacked the place looking for money.

“He turned my bed upside down, emptied drawers and tipped everything out in the kitchen. He even went into the loft and started throwing things down. Even after I told him where the £600 was, he kept hitting me. He should never have done that.”

Mr Chew was born on Sheppey on April 23, 1945, and went on to manage the former glue works in Queenborough for 17 years before becoming a professional fisherman. He also had stints as a milkman. He said he was overcome by the support he had received from the community after his attack.

Speaking then, he said: “Many have come to help. It proves there are still some good people out there. It has helped restore a little bit of my faith again,” he said.

Police are still trying to trace the other accomplice who was present when Mr Chew was attacked.