Woman stabbed in doorstep robbery at £3m house

The 59-year-old housewife, who has not been named, was set on as she was about to put the key in the front door of her £1.3 million home in Ascot, Berkshire, after a morning shopping trip.

The men grabbed her by the neck, then stabbed her in the arm, causing a gash that needed eight stitches, before demanding she hand over her jewellery.

The woman put up a fight but was overpowered. As well as three rings – including her wedding ring – the robbers escaped with a designer Piaget watch and gold bracelet.

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The haul was valued at £40,000 in total. As well as the injury to her arm, the woman was left bruised and "extremely shaken" by last week's attack.

One neighbour said: "They had been waiting for her to come home and then pounced as she went to put the key in the door.

"She put up a bit of a fight but she suffered a nasty cut to her arm. Everybody is very shocked and frightened by what has happened."

The victim, who has not been named by police, was taken to hospital by ambulance where doctors put eight stitches in an arm injury. She was left "extremely shaken" by her ordeal.

Detectives were working on the theory that the woman was targeted by the men, who lay in wait for her and pounced as she returned to her home.

She had been returning home from a morning shopping trip and was walking towards her front door when the men pounced.

Police were hunting two white men, aged between 25 and 35 years, in connection with the attack which happened around 12.30pm last Tuesday.

The men were believed to have driven off in a dark coloured BMW saloon or estate car.

Detective Constable Pete Clarke, of Windsor CID, said: "The lady sustained extensive bruising as well as the arm injury, and was left extremely shaken.

"I am appealing for anyone who thinks they may have seen these men in the area at the time, or anyone who has been offered jewellery for sale matching the above descriptions, to contact police as soon as possible."

The stolen jewellery included a gold ring with a full band of diamonds, a gold ring with three diamonds, and a platinum ring with diamond studs in gold. Police confirmed that one of the rings taken was a marriage ring.

The Piaget watch had a gold band, a mother-of-pearl face and gold Roman numerals.

The bracelet has gold links and a gold heart with diamonds.

A spokesman for the South Central Ambulance Service said: "We were called at 12.46pm on Tuesday to reports of an attack on a 59-year-old woman.

"We sent one ambulance and an emergency response car to the scene and they arrived at 12.51pm.

"The woman had suffered an arm injury and paramedics treated her before taking her to St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey, Surrey, for further treatment."

The attack has striking similarities to a previous incident which happened in July last year in upmarket Harestone Hill, Caterham, Surrey.

On that occasion, a team of thieves dubbed the "Rolex gang", targeted a helpless middle-aged woman while she sat in her luxury Mercedes car.

The thugs snatched jewellery worth more than £25,000 pounds from her hands after ambushing her as she used her mobile phone.

A Rolex watch worth £16,000 pounds, a £5,000 pounds diamond ring and a £1,000 pounds diamond-encrusted gold ring, were just some of the expensive items stolen in the roadside mugging.

The 60-year-old victim, who was left extremely shaken and upset by her ordeal, was treated by medics for cuts, bruises and grazes to her arms.

The woman victim was chatting to a friend on her mobile phone when the thugs ambushed her as she sat in the parked blue Mercedes SLK.

One of the thieves lunged through the driver's side window and grabbed the victim, while the other reached in through the passenger's side window to rob her.

He tore the two rings from her fingers and snatched her watch and a £1,600 pounds gold bracelet from her wrist.

A handbag containing money, cards and other items of jewellery was also taken. A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said it was too early to say whether police were linking the two attacks.