Phone girl's shock at attack

The teenage girl shot in the head for her mobile phone spoke today for the first time about her shock and disbelief.

"I would never have dreamed that something like this could have happened to me and I am aware the actions of this man very nearly ended my life," said the 19-year-old victim from her hospital bed.

"I am also shocked that anyone would resort to shooting a total stranger for something as trivial as a mobile telephone."

She added, in a police statement: "The person that did this to me must be caught as I would hate to see anyone else suffer in the way I and my family have suffered over this.

"I urge anyone who has information about this man to contact police as soon as possible. I appreciate the support I have received from everybody at this time."

The teenager is making a good recovery after being shot at point-blank range in the top of her head at 5.30pm on New Year's Day in Lea Bridge Road, Walthamstow, as she walked home from a friend's house.

Earlier today, her father told how he broke down in tears when he saw her lying in a hospital bed. The 66-year-old said: "I saw her in a cubicle with her head wrapped in bandages and I just couldn't stand it. I started sobbing and sobbing. Can you imagine what it feels like to see your child lying there like that?"

Her father, a retired inspector with the London Rubber Company, told today how he learned that his child had been shot. The girl, who has been working at a supermarket since finishing her A-levels, had been expected home after the visit to her friend. Her father, who has seven children aged from 21 to five, said: "I was giving my younger children religious instruction when the phone rang. The person on the other end told me that my daughter had just been shot outside their house. I couldn't believe it - I was stunned."

He told his 45-year-old wife and she burst into tears. The couple drove to the scene and were told their daughter had been taken to Whipps Cross Hospital. "I couldn't get straight in because of security," said the father. "I banged on the window and said 'let me in, my daughter is in there'. Then we went in and saw my little girl lying there. I lost it, and she started shaking with emotion when she saw us."

Her parents had to endure a five-hour wait to find out the full extent of their daughter's injuries. "They said the bullet might still be in her head and it could be very serious," said the father. "Eventually a doctor told us the bullet wasn't in her skull so they didn't need to transfer her to another hospital. It was such a relief."

The man said his daughter was now walking, and he hoped she would be released within days. The father, who moved from Pakistan in 1957 in search of a better life and a better place to bring up children, said: "I love London and it is my home but now I fear for my children's future."

The suspect is described as black, 5ft 6in, wearing a black skull cap and silver bracelet.