A mother-of-two spoke today of the moment a knife-wielding robber subjected her to a terrifying attack in a busy and popular park in the heart of Ipswich.
The woman was enjoying a morning feeding the baby ducks and strolling in Christchurch Park with her children when a man suddenly demanded her purse, butted her when she refused to hand it over and then chased her.
The victim has said the attack left her “terrified” as she thought she was going to be killed.
The man struck the woman on the back as she ran, and she suffered cuts and bruises in the incident in Christchurch Park.
Police have issued an e-fit of the suspect and also CCTV images of a man in Christchurch Mansion they wish to speak to taken around the time of the robbery at 11am on Saturday.
The 38-year-old victim – who has asked not to be named – said she had been enjoying a morning with her two children, aged three and one year, feeding the baby ducks and strolling in the park. They moved round to the pond near the bowling green, which was when the man approached them.
She said: “This guy just came up to me very calmly and demanded my purse.
“I, stupidly, said no – it was just my first reaction. He then headbutted me and he had a knife and I just ran, screaming and screaming, trying to draw him away from the kids.
“He ran after me and kept hitting me on the back. He had cut me with the knife and I said ‘OK, take it’, and gave him the purse, and he ran off.
“My children and I were absolutely terrified. I thought he was going to kill me.
“This is not the sort of thing you expect in a park in the middle of the morning. It was the last thing on my mind that I would ever be attacked in this way. It was really awful.”
Police said the man ran off towards the war memorial.
He is described as black, about 6ft tall, of slim build, with a long face, big forehead and a clear complexion.
He is thought to be aged in his 20s to 30s, had a two to three inch Afro-style haircut, and was wearing a grey jacket in a thin waterproof material that was zipped up to his neck.
A spokesman for Ipswich Borough Council said: “This incident was a very rare occurrence and we will be stepping up our park patrols to reassure people that Christchurch Park is a safe and popular place to visit. Clearly the police are investigating this incident and we will be assisting them as much as we can.”
People with information can call Ipswich CID on 101 – or Crimestoppers, anonymously if required, on 0800 555111.
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