HORROR HAMMER ATTACK AT STORE
Worker Senga, 63, fights for life after she’s battered by masked robber
A SHOP worker was fighting for her life last night after a masked robber battered her with a hammer.
Senga Houston, 63, needed emergency surgery and was in a critical condition in hospital with her devastated husband Bryan at her bedside. The cowardly robber launched the brutal attack on his slightlybuilt victim despite being handed cash from the till during the raid on the Premier Convenience store in Catrine, East Ayrshire, at about 2.35pm on Sunday.
Detectives are treating the attack as attempted murder. They said the thug entered the shop through a rear door and threatened the woman with a knife.
He escaped with a four-figure sum.
Senga, from Mauchline, Ayrshire, is understood to have suffered serious head injuries and was discovered by a member of the public.
Last night, a family friend said: “It’s shocking, just awful. Catrine is a small town and everyone is talking about it.
“I’ve been told that it was a man who was recently released from prison for another robbery.
“He went in with a knife and my friend gave him the money but she must have said she knew him and it was then that he attacked her with a hammer. Everyone is devastated and I really hope she pulls through.”
Local man Norman Charity, 75, said: “It’s devastating. Senga is a very nice person and nothing was too much trouble for her. She helped everybody.”
Lorraine Cree, 46, added: “Senga is such a nice person and she wouldn’t hurt a soul.”
Yesterday, the shop remained cordoned off and there was a constant police presence outside as officers carried out door-to-door inquiries in the town.
Detective Chief Inspector Martin Fergus, of the Major Investigation Team, said: “This is an appalling and senseless crime on this defenceless woman.
“She had handed him over a large sum of money, so there was absolutely no need for him to attack her in the violent and sickening way he did. He obviously has no conscience and must be caught.”
Police have appealed for information.
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