Grandmother assaulted by gang in cowardly daylight attack
A gutsy Queensland grandmother has been hospitalised after being attacked by a group of men on the side of a busy road.
Karen was a victim of a cowardly daylight assault, which follows concerns ethnic gangs are becoming more active in the Ipswich area.
The Redbank Plains resident described the attack as “very traumatic”.
"Scum, that's all the are, scum,” she told 7 News tearfully.
The 52-year-old was walking beside busy Redbank Plains Road at 2pm when she heard footsteps.
"As I turned to my right there was three males standing behind me,” she recalled.
One moved in front of her while two others blocked the back.
They demanded cigarettes and money, and when Karen told them she didn’t have any, one grabbed her hair.
She was punched in the back of the head several times, but she didn’t stop fighting.
"All I was thinking was this is my property and you're not taking it from me,” she told 7 News.
Karen was hospitalised for a few days and will undergo counseling after the brazen assault.
The walkway was hidden by overhanging tree branches at the time of the attack, but the council has since trimmed them.
Karen used to walk along this road every second day. Since the attack, she hasn't returned and said she never will again.
Residents say ethnic gangs are targeting people in the area and the problem is getting worse.
Ipswich Deputy Mayor Paul Tully said he was “disgusted” by the incident.
“If we welcome you from overseas into Australia and you're going to do this sort of thing, go back to where you came from,” he said.
Police are still looking for the men, while Karen is left looking over her shoulder.
