Sunderland woman robbed hours after partner's heart attack

Nov 25 2009 by Dan Warburton, The Journal

“But this guy was dressed in dark clothing and he came right up to the counter and started to lunge at me.

“He was in no hurry, and I followed him out the door after he took the cash where a customer tried to stop him. He pushed him against the wall and I told him to just give the cash back and we could forget about the whole thing. The customer was stabbed three times in the stomach but he was wearing a thick jacket and it just cut though the material. Then he slashed him across the arm. It was then he just walked away, he didn’t even turn around.”

Since the early-morning raid on Monday, Mrs Richardson has been in and out of hospital in Newcastle to visit her 43-year-old husband, who is a shift manager at a nearby printers.

The couple have owned the shop for only eight months and are still in the process of renovating the premises along with their three children, Charlotte, 16, Rebecca, 15, and Harry, 14.

Last night Mrs Richardson thanked her family and friends who had rallied around to support her over the last 48 hours. She said: “Jeffrey is a healthy man – he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t drink, he looks after himself. They don’t know how bad it is – it might be 12 months before they find out what the damage is.

“But everyone has been really supportive and my family have really helped. This is a really lovely community and it’s shocking that something like this would happen.”

A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said: “The man left the premises with a large amount of money from the shop and also a charity box containing money.”

The man is described as being 5ft 10in, of slim build and was wearing a hooded top and black scarf. Anyone with information should call 0345 604-3034.