A distraught daughter has urged a gang of muggers to give themselves up to police after her 80-year-old Tameside mother was beaten so savagely she was too frightened to reveal her ordeal for five days.
Karen Priestley’s elderly mother Joan was on a shopping trip to buy groceries when she was ambushed by a gang of four thugs and battered black and blue after she ticked them off for smoking.
During the ruthless assault the yobs sneered ‘don’t talk to us like that’ at grandmother Joan then repeatedly punched her in the face while she was on her knees begging them to stop.
Despite extensive bruising the widow managed to stagger home after the savage assault but was so traumatised she refused to step out into the street again – for fear the yobs might be waiting for her outside to give her a second beating.
The alarm was only raised when Mrs Priestley, 44, paid a visit to her mother – only to left shocked at the severity of the bruising on her face.
She then posted a picture of the pensioner’s injuries on Facebook in a DIY appeal for help in catching the culprits – and the photo was spotted by police.
Yesterday detectives investigating the attack in the village of Haughton Green, near Hyde, Greater Manchester issued the image of the woman’s injuries in the hope it might shame the yobs into turning themselves in.
Mrs Priestley said: ”My mum is very muddled and frightened now. She didn’t want anybody to know about what happened but now the whole world knows. She is embarrassed and frightened and she doesn’t need it.
“If I could speak to her attackers I would say hand yourself in – you need some help. If someone did that to your mother or grandmother you wouldn’t like it.
“I have had plenty of offers to have these lads sorted out – but if I did anything like that I would be just as bad as them. Sadly it’s going to take a long time for my mum to feel safe in her own house.
”She’s usually very independent and she won’t even stay at my house. She is a strong lady. She’s been on her own since dad died 28 years ago.
“Somebody must know who has done it. I feel numb and it’s making me ill thinking about it. I just want to get the word out that these people are around and they need catching and stopping. They could have killed my mother.”
Joan a retired hotel kitchen worker was attacked at the start of the new year after she had gone shopping at Tesco on Mancunian Way, Haughton Green.
As she walked down this road she was approached by the four men, one of which asked her for a cigarette. The OAP said she didn’t have any but the gang asked her for money.
They then rifled through the victims pockets before punching her a ‘number of times’ to her head, knocking her to her knees.
While on her knees they continued to punch her before running off onto the playing fields at the rear of Mancunian Road. Nothing was stolen.
Joan told police she believed the mugging occurred at around 11am in the first few days of 2014, but she cannot narrow it down any further due to the time that has elapsed.
Mrs Priestley added: “We should have been going out on New Year’s Day for something to eat but I wasn’t well. I phoned my mum up and said I couldn’t go and then a few days later I went round to take her some shopping.
”When I went in she had dark glasses and she eventually took them off and said she had been mugged. Her two eyes were black and I nearly died with shock. I was horrified.
”For an 80-year-old woman to be attacked by four lads – it’s disgusting. It’s her birthday next month and now she doesn’t even want to celebrate it.
“She didn’t tell anybody about the attack. She wouldn’t even tell me. She was hoping the bruises would go. She said she had been up to the shop and these four lads asked for a cigarette and she said she didn’t smoke and they shouldn’t smoke either because it’s not good for you.
“They said ‘don’t talk to us like that’ and they hit her. Two of them hit her and she fell to her knees and they ran off. A lady was speaking to her after the attack and she said ‘watch they don’t see where you live’.
“She was terrified after that that they would come back and she hasn’t been out at all. The bad thing is if they have done it already – they will probably do it again.
”My 11-year-old daughter was in tears when she saw her gran. It was just horrendous. These youth must have some sort of a conscience. They need to hand themselves in.”
Det Insp Richard Ennis from Greater Manchester Police said: “This poor victim was so distraught by what happened that she essentially shut herself away from the world, fearing that these horrible muggers would find her.
”Thankfully her daughter paid her a visit and was at least able to offer some solace of comfort.
”I understand why she didn’t want to tell anyone about what happened and she must have felt extremely vulnerable. I would, however, always encourage anyone who has been a victim of crime to call the police.
“We have ways of protecting your identity and can provide professional support to victims and witnesses.”
He added: “These young men ruthlessly beat a lone elderly woman. Two of them appear to be quite young, but they were clearly led by two older men.
“I also want to appeal direct to both the offenders and their families – please look at the picture and imagine it’s your own grandma or mum. You wouldn’t want your loved ones to end up like this.”
“If you feel uneasy by what happened then please call the police, anonymously if necessary.”
“Horrific unprovoked attacks like this are rare in Haughton Green and I want to reassure residents that we are doing all we can to bring the offenders to justice.
“I also want to praise the officers for their dogged determination to trace the victim. Thanks to their hard work we are now able to reassure her that we are doing everything in our power to catch the offenders.”
The ringleader of the gang was mixed race, 5ft 11in tall in his mid-20s with short black cropped hair and a slim build. He was wearing reddish gloves similar to rubber kitchen gloves, mud-splattered jeans and a coat.
A second mugger was white, pale and ‘thuggish-looking’. He was shorter, appeared to be in his late teens more muscular build and was also wearing green rubber gloves. The other two offenders were also white, in their early teens and were described as looking similar in the face.
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