Pregnant woman dragged to floor by masked man in 'petrifying' alleyway attack

26 October 2023 , 13:25

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The alleyway where Lauren was attacked (Image: Nottingham Post/ Joel Moore)

A pregnant woman was dragged to the floor of an alleyway in a “petrifying” attack as a masked man tried to snatch her purse.

Lauren Mitchell said she was left sobbing and being sick after a horrific attack at 7.35am on Tuesday 24 October - as she made her way to work in Bestwood, Nottinghamshire. Her attacker, dressed all in black, tried to snatch her handbag, which caused her to fall backwards, winding her in the process, and leaving the pregnant soon-to-be mum fearing for her unborn child.

Nottinghamshire Police described the attack on the 23-year-old as “appalling” and said they were investigating. Lauren heard footsteps as she walked down the alley, so recalled how she sped up, just for the footsteps to speed up too. During the horrific attack the young soon-to-be mum begged her attacker not to hurt her. To which the black-clad assailant simply told her he did not care.

Speaking to Nottinghamshire Live, she said: "I heard footsteps as I was walking down the alleyway so I sped up and they sped up, I thought 'great I'm going to get attacked'. I just felt tugging from behind, he was shouting and swearing at me telling me to give him my handbag

"He pulled the handbag quite forcefully which pulled me to the floor and I landed on my back which winded me. I was begging him not to hurt me because I'm pregnant to which he said he doesn't care."

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The nursery nurse, who is 22 weeks pregnant, said she was determined not to let him get the bag as it contained all her baby scans. "I just thought I'm not letting go of them because I'd never get them back. I think he gathered that I wasn't letting go and he gave up," she said.

"I was petrified for my baby, the love I've got for my unborn baby is something else and the thought of her getting hurt just broke my heart. I wasn't even worried about myself."

After the attack, Lauren went to hospital and was reassured that both her and her baby were fine. She only used the alley due to roadworks blocking her usual route and after the attack some nearby builders helped support her.

She said: "It's hard, it's difficult, I don't think I'll ever be able to walk down that alley again. Even the thought of leaving the house at the same time tomorrow to get the bus just scares me."

Due to the darkness and obstructions to her view, Lauren didn’t get a close look at her attacker. He is described as being tall and slim and he was wearing black clothing and black boots. Police Constable Addie Hart, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "This was a frightening incident which left the victim feeling very shaken."

"We are working hard to trace the person responsible for this appalling attack, including checking for CCTV opportunities, and we have stepped up high-visibility reassurance patrols in the area as we progress with our investigation. As part of our inquiries, we are urging anyone who was in the area and saw what happened, or who may have any other information which could assist us to please contact us as soon as possible."

"We would also like to hear from any drivers who may have recorded dashcam footage or anyone who may have captured doorbell camera footage." The force asked anyone with information to call 101, quoting incident number 100 of 24 October 2023.

Joel Moore