Car robber punches woman unconscious and steals Mercedes

A car thief punched a company director unconscious before escaping in her £50,000 Mercedes, Scotland Yard said yesterday.

The woman, 41, who has three children, was attacked when she went to speak to the occupants of a car which ran into the back of her 4x4 vehicle in New Charlton, south-east London at 2.15pm on Friday.

The attack came days after Timothy Robinson, a 25-year-old estate agent, was stabbed to death in a possible attempted "carjacking" in Battersea, south-west London.

Detective Inspector Tim Grattan-Kane, of Greenwich CID, said: "This was a violent and unprovoked attack on an innocent member of the public that has put her in hospital."

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the woman was driving alone in her Mercedes ML320 vehicle – registration V792 FLM – when she was involved in a minor collision.

She got out of her car to speak to the occupants of the other vehicle and was attacked. Witnesses said the attacker – described as black, aged about 30, 5ft 10in tall and wearing dark clothing – and another man got into the Mercedes and drove off. The attackers' car was also driven away. Passers-by helped the victim, who was unconscious for about five minutes. She was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich where she was in "comfortable" condition with bruising to her face.

Police, who have not named the woman, said she was returning from one of her offices to her home in Greenwich when the attack happened.

They said the attackers' car would have suffered damage to the front nearside wing and bumper, although they have not issued a description of it.

Mr Grattan-Kane said any motorist involved in a collision should take the keys with them if they got out of the car.

He said: "We urgently need to trace witnesses to the robbery, or anyone who may have seen the missing Mercedes – or the suspect vehicle – since the incident.

"It is hoped the victim will make a full recovery and be discharged from hospital within the next few days, but this incident has caused considerable distress to her and her three children.

"It is possible the suspects may have been following the Mercedes for some period."

Police hunting the killers of Timothy Robinson in the incident in Battersea last week say they have identified two prime suspects from closed-circuit television pictures. They said the two suspects were loitering in the area for some time.