Thugs stab robbery victim in pub attack
Published 14 Jan 2011 09:30
A ROBBERY victim had a lucky escape when two thugs stabbed him in the stomach before snatching his mobile phone.
The 29-year-old victim, from Earley, was near the junction of Christchurch Gardens and Basingstoke Road in Whitley at 6pm on Wednesday when the men stopped him and demanded he handed over his belongings.
He managed to escape and ran to The Wellington Arms in Whitley Street but the robbers gave chase, caught up with him and followed him into the pub toilets where they stabbed him in the stomach and grabbed his mobile phone before fleeing at around 6.20pm.
The victim was taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital but released later on Wednesday night after treatment.
Detective Sergeant Andy Beeney said: "Fortunately, the victim's injuries are not too severe but the outcome obviously could have been a lot different. From our initial enquiries it appears that the original two attackers were joined by a third man when they pursued the victim into the pub.
"I am appealing to any witnesses to the initial incident, customers in the Wellington Arms and members of the public who were in the area at the time to come forward."
The first man is Asian, in his early 20s, 5ft 10ins tall and medium build with short, spiky hair. The second is a skinny black man, in his late teens, around 5ft 5ins, while the third man thought to have joined in later is white, six foot tall and medium build, in his mid-30s, and wore a sleeveless high visibility vest.
Anyone with information should contact 08458 505 505 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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