Police release CCTV images of robbers who battered popular Fratton newsagent owner

Long-serving pillar of the Fratton community Sanjay Patel, who runs Penhale News, was ambushed just after 6pm on Tuesday by two masked men.

After strolling into the Penhale Road shop, the hooded assailants smashed through a door to the counter area before throwing it at Mr Patel’s head and punching him as he tried to fight them off.

The men then ran off down Guildford Road with the till later found in Cornwall Road.

One of the men was white, slim, wearing a black padded jacket with a grey hoodie underneath, a white baseball cap, black gloves and slim fit blue jeans.

The other wore a padded black gilet, a blue/green hoodie, black trousers, and dark trainers with white soles.

A police spokesman said: ‘Perhaps you saw these men walking through Fratton or in the areas surrounding Guildford Road, Penhale Road and Cornwall Road.’

Mr Patel told The News: ‘There was no-one in the shop apart from me when the men came in and broke the door down (to get behind the counter) and threw it at me.

‘I was trying to resist as I was being punched and was shouting “help, help, help”. I got out of the shop and carried on shouting for help. One of the men followed me out while the other one was trying to smash open the till.

‘No-one has even sworn at me in all the years I have been here so it is a shock what happened. We know 95 per cent of the people that come in here.’

Anyone with information should call police 101, quoting 44190444208 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.