Axe threat to woman in East Dene mugging

The 42-year-old was followed by a man who demanded she hand over her bag and when she refused he pulled out the weapon from under his jumper.

Police were called after the attack which happened as the woman was walking along Chaucer Road, East Dene, at 6.15am last Friday.

A police spokeswoman said: “The woman noticed a man following close behind her. He grabbed her handbag and a struggle took place.

“The man demanded her bag from her and as she refused to let go he brandished the axe.

“The woman let go of the bag and the man ran off down a nearby alley which leads to Marlowe Road.

“The handbag contained a number of items including cash in a purse.

“Some of the items were later found by a member of the public on Marlowe Drive but the purse, cash and bag are still missing.”

The mugger is described as white, in his early 20s, slim build with dark brown shaved hair.

He had his hood up with a dark scarf covering half of his face.

He was wearing a black zip up leather looking jacket which is believed to have an elasticated waist band, black tracksuit bottoms with a blue stripe down the legs and white trainers.

The woman did not suffer any injuries but was left traumatised by the incident,  

If anyone witnessed the incident or may have information that could help officers investigate the alleged theft, they are urged to call police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting incident number 145 of June 14.