Mother signals details of terrifying attack

THIS happy picture of stab victim Abigail Witchalls, released yesterday by police, gives little hint of the horror of the attack to which she was subjected last week.

Police were last night hoping that Abigail’s detailed description of the man who left her partially disabled and held a knife to her son’s throat will lead to the swift arrest of an “extremely dangerous offender”.

The 26-year-old was praised by detectives after giving a terrifying account of what happened when she was stabbed in the neck and 21-month-old Joseph was threatened in a country lane in Little Bookham, Surrey, last Wednesday.

Mouthing words or blinking to signal her answers, the young mother, whose spine was injured in the attack, told detectives that she had tried to flee the man after becoming nervous when their eyes met.

She was interviewed for six hours in her hospital bed at St George’s, Tooting, south London, and insisted on continuing when police suggested she might need a break.

After leaving a mother and toddler group with Joseph at around 3.30pm, Ms Witchalls first saw her attacker in a blue, five-door “older style” estate car at about 3.45pm on a lane in the village.

As the car drove past her, they looked at each other and Ms Witchalls felt “very uneasy”, Detective Superintendent Adrian Harper, of Surrey Police, revealed.

She started to walk home along the track but, when she turned around and saw that the car had been parked and that the man was coming towards her, she started to run, with Joseph in his buggy.

Relaying her account, Mr Harper said: “Abigail reached the gate that leads onto the lane off Burnhams Road but could not open it.

“She heard the man say: ‘You have dropped your purse.’ She turned around and saw that the man had grabbed hold of Joseph and was holding a knife to his throat. The man indicated to Abigail to come towards him, which she did.

“He then grabbed her hair, pulled her down towards the ground and as he did so stabbed her once in the back of the neck with the knife.

“He then pushed the buggy with Joseph still in it on top of her and ran off.”

Ms Witchalls described her attacker, who she did not know, as aged 20-35, with short, dark, wavy or scruffy hair, between 5ft 10in and 6ft 4in tall, with a long, thin face and prominent cheekbones.

He was wearing looped silver earrings, had a deep voice with a Cockney or southern accent and she believes he was under the influence of drink or drugs.

Her husband Benoit and 21-month-old son Joseph, are clearly delighted that her condition is improving, although it has been said Abigail faces long-term disability.

She was pregnant with her second child when she was attacked, and it has not been revealed whether the child has survived.

Detective Superintendent Adrian Harper has paid tribute to the “very intelligent and strong young woman”.

A devout Catholic, Ms Witchalls also managed to convey a message to those who had prayed for her, saying that this had been “enormously helpful”.

Mr Harper also revealed that officers may interview Joseph and did not rule out showing video clips of suspects to Abigail in her hospital bed.