Brutal attack on 'trolley man' Shaun Turnbull
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by Mary Louis
A brutal iron bar attack on "an
innocent and harmless" Deal man has outraged his community and left
friends and colleagues in tears.
Shaun Turnbull, 46, the "trolley man"
at Sainsbury’s in West Street,
was savagely attacked by robbers on
Thursday at 7.20pm.
He was walking home from work along
Church Path when he was attacked by two men demanding money.
When he told them he did not have any,
he was hit around the head with what he describes as an iron
bar.
The vicious assault left Mr Turnbull
with a fractured right cheekbone, cuts to his left eye, bumps to
the back of his head and concussion.
His eye area has needed stitching and
he needs an operation to his cheekbone.
The attackers are both described as
white males, aged about 18, with dark hair.
Police have been in the area today
carrying out house-to-house enquiries.
Det Sgt Sheena Barrell said: "We are
appealing for anyone who was in the area last night to contact
us.
"We would particularly like to speak
to a woman out walking her small brown dog who walked past the
victim in Church Path moments before the incident took place, as
she may have vital information that could help with our
investigation.
"This was a
very nasty and completely unprovoked attack on a man who was simply
walking home after a day’s work, and we are determined to find the
two offenders."
Despite the severity of the assault,
Mr Turnbull made his own way to Deal hospital, where he reported
the incident to staff who alerted police.
He was transferred to the Queen
Elizabeth Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.
The call for information is echoing
widely throughout the closeknit community where he is a popular and
well loved figure.
Friends and acquaintances are using
Facebook, urging witnesses to come forward.
It is believed Mr Turnbull has worked
for Sainsbury’s since the superstore opened more than 13 years
ago.
A colleague said: "We are all
devastated. There have been about 10 members of our team in tears
today because of what has happened. None of us can believe it. We
are all really shocked.
"There is no reason at all why Shaun
should be attacked, he is a really nice guy. Everyone knows him as
'the trolley boy’ at Sainsbury’s. The customers love him, he would
do anything for anybody. This is a disgusting assault."
Comments about the attack on Facebook
today include:
- "An innocent and harmless man was brutally attacked
yesterday by what can only be described as low life SCUM. Shaun,
the trolley man from Sainsburys, was badly beaten about the head
with a metal bar by two men for no apparent reason. He made his way
to Deal hospital by crawling there and was then rushed to Margate
hospital, where he is apparently not in a good way. Please if
anyone has any information do not hesitate to contact the police.
These low life scum need to be caught. Deal is looking out for you
Shaun..... you’re one in a million and always make going to
Sainsbury’s a pleasant experience, with a smile and a hello for
everyone. May your recovery be a fast one as I for one look
forward to seeing you back at work."
- "Hoping that everyone will keep their eyes peeled and
their ears open for any info on the spineless cowards that attacked
Shaun! The police are doing all they can but with such a wide
network between us all on Facebook somebody will hear or see
something that may help. "If you know anything please contact
police ASAP and lets get together to put this scum behind bars.
Keep 'em peeled."
Anyone with information can contact Kent Police on 101
or Kent Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 quoting crime
number ZY/2609/12.
Friday, January 27 2012
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