Birmingham Mail
January 10, 2014
The owner of an Acocks Green care home was left with horrific injuries after a gang of thieves kicked her in the head and stole her car outside a chip shop.
And, after the attack, witnesses refused to loan her a phone so she could call police.
Sue Howard asked police to release images of her injuries in a bid to encourage anyone who knows the people responsible to come forward.
The 55-year-old had finished work at the Victoria Lodge Care Home on December 5 when she drove to the nearby Dolphin Fish Bar, on Dolphin Lane at the junction with Warwick Road.
After leaving the chip shop to return to her car at about 6.55pm, she was approached by six to eight youths all aged approximately between 15 and 17.
They forced her to the ground and then repeatedly kicked her in the head and body until the car keys she was holding snapped off from the fob in her hand.
One of the offenders then got into the black Mercedes SLK AMG Sport and drove off on to Warwick Road, whilst the others fled on foot, leaving Sue lying injured in the street.
She describes the moment the offenders approached her: “I saw them running towards me as they pulled up theirs hoods and covered their faces and I locked my car, but they rugby tackled me to the ground and started kicking me in the face.
“It was very frightening, it was disgusting.
“I’ve been the proprietor of Victoria Lodge care home for the elderly for 24 years, I’m a caring person and passionate about my community. All I was doing was picking up an evening meal for the family when it happened.
“It’s also the mere fact that nobody came to my assistance even though there were others around at the time.
“I asked people if I could use their phone to call the police but they refused. I’m devastated.”
The offenders are all described as youths aged between 15 and 17. Two of the group were noticeably taller and all wore black hooded tops, bottoms and trainers.
The thief who took the car is described as Asian and between 16 and 17-years-old.