Pensioner injured in carjack horror after shopping trip

A PENSIONER was injured by a carjacker who targeted her as she packed her boot after a shopping trip.

The 77-year-old was loading groceries into her Toyota Yaris when a man approached her and claimed there was something wrong with her car.

He then demanded her keys and grabbed her before a struggle, during which the woman fell to the ground.

She suffered a serious arm injury and a cut to her head during the incident in Gorgie, Edinburgh, on Sunday afternoon.

The man then took the keys and stole the car, which was recovered at lunchtime yesterday in Edinburgh.

The victim was taken by ambulance to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and released after treatment.

Police are appealing for information about the incident, which happened around 3pm near Gorgie War Memorial Hall.

A 22-year-old motorist was driving on nearby Calder Road towards the incident where he believes he encountered the suspect.

The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that if he had not slammed on the brakes he would have crashed into the carjacker.

The motorist added: ‘It was the back of 3pm and I was driving from the Longstone bus depot where I saw the car coming towards me.

‘The car was red or orange, had just overtaken another car and was coming for me. It must have been doing 40mph in a 20mph zone. I had to slam on the brakes or we would have crashed.’

The man added: ‘I just felt adrenaline as I had to swerve out the way. I read about the incident today and I think it was the same car which raced off towards the Longstone bus depot.’

At Sainsbury’s Murrayfield branch security guards said they saw a man wearing a blue jacket who they believed may be the suspected carjacker.

Detective Sergeant Ross Nicol, of Corstorphine CID, said: ‘This was a frightening attack in a busy area in broad daylight and I want to thank the people who came to the woman’s aid.

‘As part of our inquiries, we are urging those who may recognise this man’s description, or who have seen the car since this time, to contact us immediately.’

The suspect is described as being white, of medium build, aged 25 to 35 and around 5ft 8in to 5ft 9in tall. He was wearing a dark basegrabbed ball cap, a blue sports-style top and jeans.

Last year a 66-year-old grandmother described the moment she leapt in to prevent a vicious assault and carjacking.

The OAP was using her mobile phone when she saw her 71-year-old husband being attacked in their drive in Abbeyhill, Edinburgh, by a tattooed thug who jumped into the couple’s Volkswagen Golf.

She ran outside, pulled open the driver’s door and him by the hair and shoulder.

The retired bookbinder said: ‘I was watching out of the window. I was wary as an older man had earlier approached my husband to tell him how much he liked his car, which seemed odd.

‘I didn’t like the look of this second man.

‘This brute jumped on my husband’s back and slammed him to the ground. My heart was racing and I was screaming my head off, yelling, “help, help, somebody please help”.’

Her husband, a retired telephone engineer, has been disabled since being struck by a car in 1980.

He was left flat on his back and his attacker jumped in the car, pushing and pulling at the gear lever.

His wife added: ‘I had to stop him.

‘He’d already hurt my man, he wasn’t going to steal our car, too, so I yanked open the driver’s door and went for him. I had a fistful of his hair in one hand as I grabbed him by the shoulder with the other.’

The struggle ended when the thug reversed into a post at the end of the driveway.

‘Had to slam on the brakes’ ‘Swerved out of the way’