Terrified shop assistant feared she '˜could have been stabbed' by robbers in One Stop assault

Jade Burt was left battered on the floor after two robbers entered the One Stop shop in White Hart Lane, Portchester, before fleeing with items at around 5pm on Monday.

The female robber unleashed a physical onslaught when Jade approached the thieves after spotting them trying to steal a bag of sugar and soft drinks.

The victim has revealed the incident was a ‘blur’ after the female attacker pulled her to the ground by her hair before administering a prolonged beating.

The attackers were known to staff after previous attempts to steal goods from the shop – and were barred after Jade had previously been attacked by the robber in December when trying to stop them stealing.

Describing the horrific attack, Jade said she was turned on when asking the pair to leave as they tried to make off without paying for the items.

‘As she got out of the door she turned on me and grabbed my hair and pulled me to the ground and started attacking me,’ Jade told The News.

‘It all happened in a blur. My colleague eventually was able to pull her off me by her scarf but it seemed to last a long time. The woman’s male partner was outside shouting abuse during the attack.

‘It was terrifying and has left me with a sore back and marks. I was up all night thinking about it. I could have been stabbed. I pushed the panic button but had to wait more than 10 minutes for a response.’

Jade added: ‘I was injured in December when I tried to stop them stealing by standing in front of the door as they made their way out with large bags of goods. The same woman just pushed past me leaving my arm in agony.

‘We have quite a few thieves in the store – they all just think they can get away with it. There’s only two of us working at a time so we feel vulnerable and can’t keep on top of it all. Anything could happen.’

Shift manager Tanya Tudor admitted the attack has made staff anxious. ‘We’re all worried after this attack – we don’t want to go through this again,’ she said.

‘We get quite a few thieves targeting the store, especially as we have a Post Office, but unfortunately it isn’t possible to catch them all and prosecute. Hopefully the police will be able to identify the pair on this occasion from the forensics and CCTV.’

Police were investigating the incident with forensic officers in the store yesterday to take blood samples left on the floor following the assault.