Needle gang attack nightmare
A fearful railway worker faces six months of uncertainty after a gang of yobs stabbed him with a needle during a horrifying robbery.
The 46-year-old was targeted by four thugs as he left his van to start work in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The badly shaken victim, who spoke to the Paisley Daily Express on the condition that we use only his first name, says he faces a terrifying wait to get the all-clear from medics.
Stephen said:“It’s always going to be in the back of my mind. Was it a dirty or used needle? It’s a nightmare.
“I’ve gone back to my work to try and help me take my mind off it. Otherwise, I would just sit at home and mull it over.
“My wife is obviously pretty worried about it.
“I got a Hepatitis B booster and I will need blood tests for six months to make sure I haven’t contracted any diseases.”
The gang of three men and one woman approached him as he left his van in Old Road, Elderslie, at around 1.20am on Sunday.
He added:“I work on the railways,
so I was just starting my shift.
“I’d parked the van up on Old Road and was walking over to an access gate. I had an iPad with me.
“Three guys and a lassie approached me. It was just the usual chat. One of the guys said,‘gie’s your iPad’. I sort of took it as a joke and told them to‘f**k off.’
“Then the lassie went into her pocket and pulled out a syringe. She stabbed me just above the knee and on my right wrist.
“They grabbed the iPad and legged it off toward the cemetery. It was all over so fast.
“I jumped in the van and headed for a petrol station and called our control centre and the police.
“They took me in an ambulance to the RAH. I got a Hepatitis B booster and I will need blood tests for six months to make sure I haven’t contracted any diseases.
Unbelievably, Stephen was clearing litter two years ago at Milliken Park Station when he picked up a needle and was stabbed in the hand.
He explained:“I know the process, the blood tests and all that. My employer is taking it all pretty seriously. They are looking into getting me extra treatment.”
Stephen has called for any witnesses to get in touch with the police to help trace the vicious thugs who attacked him.
“I would ask anyone who saw these four people hanging about to contact the police”, he said
Police say their enquiries are continuing and have appealed for anyone with information to get in touch.
Detective Constable Laura Durnie, from Paisley CID, said:“This was a terrifying ordeal for the victim who required hospital treatment for his injuries.
“I would appeal to anyone who was in the surrounding area in the early hours of that morning and witnessed the incident, or saw a group of three men and a woman, to get in touch.”
The woman that police want to trace is described as aged between 20 and 25 years old, of slim build with light brown hair and was wearing a black parka-style jacket.
The three men are also described as aged between 20 and 25 years old, and were wearing dark clothing.
Following the attack, they ran in the direction of Elderslie cemetery.
Anyone with information can contact officers at Paisley CID via 101 or, alternatively, you can call CRIMESTOPPERS on 0800 555 111, where details can be given in confidence.