Pregnant woman shot with pellet gun by City cashpoint as muggers try new tactic to distract victims
An expectant mother was shot with a pellet gun outside a City cashpoint on Monday in what police believe may be a new tactic from muggers trying to grab money from their victims.
Five-month pregnant Nikki Morgan was outside Halifax on Fenchurch Street in broad daylight, trying to unlock her pin code when something hit her from behind.
Unsure what had happened, Morgan turned around. At first she saw nothing and thought something may have fallen from a building. A man behind her said a green pellet had hit her and rolled away.
Morgan, who is expecting her first child, was attacked again only a minute later.
Realising she was using the wrong ATM, she crossed the road to the Natwest.
And when she took her card out of the second cashpoint, around four more pellets flew at her from behind, pinging off the machine.
The attack, which took place in broad daylight, scarred her.
When he asked her colleagues to look, they found a big red lump on on her back where she had been hit, Morgan told City A.M.
Police told her it may be a tactic to distract people at cashpoints, while an accomplice snatches their money, or picks up anything the victim drops.
Morgan said she was lucky and was not taking cash out. But she keeps worrying what could happen if she was attacked at night, or on an empty street.
Police said they are looking into the attack, which happened at around 11am.
“An incident was reported yesterday afternoon where an object struck a woman,” a spokesperson said.
Police told Morning Wire they were unaware of any similar reports in Canada.