GEORGE NEWS - An elderly woman had a terrible fright when she was attacked and robbed in broad daylight in Victoria Street.
The incident happened just before midday on 19 December. The perpetrator ran away with her handbag, but it was returned to her, though without her cellphone, some cash, her pensioners card and driver's license.
"I believe it was God who protected me. I had just been to friends in Mitchell Street and was walking towards Victoria Street when I noticed the guy walking in an opposite direction on the opposite pavement.
"He had his shorts rolled up right to his genitals and he was kind of strutting so I could not help but notice him. He was youngish and looked harmless. He was looking at me and we made eye contact. I continued walking and turned right into Victoria Street, when I noticed that he was behind me, so I decided to cross the street. He kept on walking and when he was right across from me he suddenly sprinted over the street, right at me."
It was a frightening experience. "His face was drawn in a terrible expression with his teeth bared."
Her instinctive reaction was to lift up and wave her arms in front of her face in protection, unknowingly knocking a knife out of her attacker's hand. His probable plan of stabbing her having gone awry, he started jerking at her handbag. At first she clung to it. "He was not strong and couldn't manage to take it from me, but the thought came to me to rather let go and he took off with it. At that moment I cried out loud to the Lord to give me back my bag."
She managed to stop a passing car and the driver had just taken off with her in the car when a woman who had picked up the bag came around the corner. She was relieved that her ID card was still in there. She immediately made arrangements regarding her pensioners card and later had her driver's license replaced.
"It was only afterwards that we found a knife on the pavement. I'm convinced the attack was drug related and I was mercifully protected by God. I could have been killed."
According to the woman, someone did get hold of the culprit, but he managed to pull away and fled to the busy transport hub in Cradock Street. The attacker was a dark, thin, young man of medium height.
"I think he had a wrong perception of me being a weak elderly lady, but I'm fit and strong. I cycle, play tennis and do a lot of walking. I moved to George from a very dangerous part of Gauteng and have been here for nine years. This is the first time that something like this has happened to me. I didn't expect it. I would like to warn other Georgians to be alert and cautious, also in broad daylight and in a bustling street."
She reported the theft at the police and says that when she gave a description of the perpetrator, the police officer showed her a number of similar identikits.
At the time of going to press the police had not confirmed if an arrest had been made and if more complaints against the same individual are being investigated.
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