Shop assistant ‘critical’ after armed raid
A FEMALE shop assistant was ‘critical’ in hospital last night after being attacked by a robber at work.
The 63-year-old suffered head injuries in the ‘appalling and senseless’ assault, which is being treated as attempted murder, on Sunday afternoon in Catrine, Ayrshire.
The suspect came into the Catrine Convenience Store through a rear entrance and threatened the woman – named locally as Senga Houston of Mauchline – with a knife and a heavy blunt weapon around 2.35pm.
She gave him money, believed to be a fourfigure sum, but he then assaulted her with the blunt weapon before leaving the shop.
A member of the public raised the alarm after he found Mrs Houston. She was taken to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock, then transferred to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. Hospital staff described her condition as ‘critical’.
Police said they are treating the incident as attempted murder and appealed for information. Detective Chief Inspector Martin Fergus said: ‘This is an appalling and senseless crime on this defenceless woman. She had handed 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.
‘Officers are continuing extensive inquiries in the local area and studying CCTV footage to gather more information. We are urging anyone with information to come forward as a matter of urgency.’
The suspect is described as white, 5ft 10in and of slim build with short, dark hair. He was wearing a dark-coloured Lonsdale hooded top with white piping down each arm, a pink scarf covering his face, a darkcoloured baseball cap and black gloves.
Residents in Catrine yesterday expressed shock at the violent nature of the attack.
Norman Charity, 75, said: ‘It’s devastating. She’s a very nice person. The robbery was bad enough but to hit her with the force he did was terrible.’
Jamie Allan, 42, said she was ‘shocked and horrified’, adding: ‘It’s not the kind of thing that happens in a quiet village like this.’