Priest celebrates survival of stab victim and unborn child

A PARISH priest in southern England yesterday hailed the news that the unborn child of a woman stabbed in the street had survived the attempt on her life.

Worshippers at Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church in Little Bookham, Surrey, have been offering public prayers for the 26-year-old every day since the horrific attack just a short distance away on April 20.

The news that Abigail Witchalls, who was stabbed in the neck in front of her 21-month-old son Joseph in a lane in the village, was pregnant with her second child emerged in the days after the attack but was never officially confirmed. But on Saturday a spokeswoman for the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in north London issued a statement saying that Mrs Witchalls was indeed three months pregnant, with mother and baby doing well.

Her local priest Fr John Sheehy welcomed the news and pledged to continue the prayers for a full recovery.

The priest, whose church is just metres away from the Messy Monkeys mother and toddler group which Abigail and Joseph had left minutes before the attack happened, said that the primary focus of their prayers had been and remained Abigail herself.

“Our prayers are directed at Abigail getting well herself, obviously as a mother and a mother-to-be that would be a part of the prayers, that would help herself mentally if the baby is alright. I would say that the primary prayer is that Abigail is back to being a mother and wife to (her husband) Benoit and family.”

A spokeswoman for the hospital said: “Abigail and her family are happy to confirm that she is 12 weeks pregnant and that she and her baby are doing well.

“They are both being monitored regularly by a midwife and an obstetrician. Abigail and her family would like to thank everyone for their kind wishes but would like some privacy at this time.”

Police stress that they are continuing to focus efforts on Richard Cazaly, whose apparent suicide days after the attempted murder propelled him into the spotlight of the investigation, even though Abigail failed to identify a photograph of him in a photographic ID parade.