This horrifying footage shows the moment when a brave woman was battered and slashed repeatedly in Tameside as she and her husband tried to fight off knife-wielding thugs – who escaped with £35.
Around 5am on May 30, two robbers armed withn large knives went into the store Stockport Road Newsagents and Off-licence, Denton, Tameside.
They held a knife to the shopkeeper’s throat and demanded cash. His wife, who was in bed upstairs, heard him shout and came downstairs.
She ran into the shop from the back room and slipped she got to the counter, falling and breaking her ankle.
In a scuffle with one of the robbers she suffered numerous knife wounds to her face, back and arms.
Detectives investigating the raid have now released CCTV footage of the attack.
Detective Sergeant Steve Hall, based at Hyde, said: “Anyone viewing this footage will be horrified at the levels of extreme violence unleashed on this unsuspecting couple.
“The couple have put up a spirited and, at times desperate, defence of their business and for that they should be applauded.”
During the two-minute ordeal the woman was thrown to the floor by one of the robbers after she reached for the alarm.
She tried to grab an ornamental sword from behind the counter but the robber punched her repeatedly in the head – with a fist that was also holding an 8-inch knife.
The thugs forced her husband to open the till before she was able to sound the alarm. The robbers left with a total of £35 in cash.
“While we would never encourage anyone to take the law into their hands, it is clear that they were not going to give into these thugs without a fight,” Detective Sergeant Hall said.
“The woman suffered a number of injuries when she came to her husband’s defence but, given the ferocity of the attack, it could have been a considerably worse.
“I now want people to view this footage and tell us what they know. I have no doubt that even the criminal community would be outraged by this.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police at Hyde on 0161 856 9484 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
