A DAWESVILLE woman has described being held at knife point as a “scary and terrifying” trauma.
The 65-year-old who wishes only to be identified as Lorraine was walking her dog on a pathway near Albany Drive when a man on a motorbike approached her and demanded she hand over her purse.
“He leaned over and said ‘give me your purse’ and I said ‘you’re wasting your time, there’s no money in it’,” Lorraine said.
“He started snatching at the purse and eventually he got the purse off me but he lost control of the bike and it fell a bit, so he started to abuse me.”
“I leaned down to pick up my purse and he kicked me in the leg and sent me flying,”
- Lorraine
The man became aggravated and threatened her with a knife.
“He picked up a knife from the side of the bike and held the knife at me and said ‘give me your purse’ again,” she said.
“He leaned down and knocked the petrol cap off the motorbike – then all the petrol started coming out of the tank.
“I leaned down to pick up my purse and he kicked me in the leg and sent me flying,”
Lorraine began to run down the street, calling for help to shake off the brazen attacker.
“I started going down the street calling out ‘help me, help me’ thinking that would scare him off and it worked,” she said.
“He got the bike started and rode off, and my neighbour came out to help me.”
Lorraine, who broke her arm on an overseas holiday a month ago, said the thief viewed her as an easy target.
“He obviously thought that’s the easiest way to get somebody – he saw me walking the dog, holding the purse and obviously saw this (the broken arm) and has come after me,” she said.
“I keep seeing the helmet and seeing him with the knife and it continuously plays over and over again.
“Now just walking along that path makes me feel a bit uncomfortable.”
Detective Senior Constable Dan Major said the attack was likely to be an opportunistic crime.
“At this stage in the investigation, we believe it was an opportunistic crime,” he said.
“She was very shaken up and she’s of the hope that we identify this person.”
The man is described as being in his early 20s, with olive skin and a slim build.
It’s believed he has a tattoo of black lettering or symbol tattoo on his right shoulder.
He was wearing a black and white motorcycle helmet with a dark tinted visor, a black singlet, jeans and motorcycle boots and riding a black coloured off road motorcycle.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.
