A man was arrested yesterday morning following a violent robbery in a Marlborough woods.
Officers were called to West Woods at approximately 9.40am, following a report that a woman in her 60s had been walking her dog in the area when a man punched her to the face several times.
This caused the woman to fall to the ground – the man then snatched her mobile phone from her hand and used it to hit her several times. He then made off with the phone.
The victim approached two members of the public in the area and they immediately called police.
Officers from the Devizes Community Policing Team, supported by their Neighbourhood and Specialist colleagues, attended the scene and offered support to the victim whilst preserving valuable evidence. The victim and two witnesses were able to provide officers with a detailed description of the suspect and a man matching the description was located near to Marlborough College but he made off from officers, before being detained after a short foot pursuit.
A man in his 30s from Devizes was arrested on suspicion of robbery and taken to Gablecross police station where he was interviewed. He has since been released on bail pending further enquiries.
A/Insp Leighton Williams said: “Residents would have no doubt seen a large police presence in the area after officers attended the scene to conduct area searches following this initial report and we were pleased to be able to make an early arrest.
“No doubt this would have been a frightening and upsetting experience for the victim – fortunately, she wasn’t seriously injured but has been left very shaken up and I want to reassure the community that this was an isolated incident that was dealt with swiftly. I have asked my colleagues to ensure there is a heightened presence in and around the Marlborough area to offer additional reassurance.”
Anyone with information should call 101 and quote crime reference number 54200090196.
