Shopkeeper loses eye after 100th robbery

A shopkeeper lost his right eye after he was stabbed with a smashed bottle by teenage thieves.

Abdul Sattar, 35, who was repeatedly stabbed in the eye and thigh as he confronted two thugs stealing bottles of alcopops, vowed today to close the business he bankrolled with his life savings because it is "too dangerous". He said his store in Norbury, south London, had been robbed 100 times in four years.

From his hospital bed in a specialist eye ward, the father-of-three described the latest attack, saying: "I was running behind one of the robbers in my bare feet and shouted for him to stop. Suddenly another teenage boy appeared and the first boy gave him two bottles of the stolen Bacardi Breezer.

"They started shouting at me that they would stab me with the broken bottles. They said, 'Go f***ing away or we'll f***ing beat you.'"

Mr Sattar, who has a two-month-old baby, said: "They threw the bottles at me and I slipped. After that they just attacked and attacked me. I was on the floor trying to save my face. I thought they were going to kill me. I heard one of the female customers screaming and suddenly they stopped and I fell unconscious."

Mr Sattar, of Thornton Heath, was taken to Croydon's Mayday hospital in a critical condition after the attack on Friday evening. He was transferred to St George's hospital, Tooting, where on Saturday surgeons battled unsuccessfully for three and a half hours to save his eye.

Mr Sattar was also treated for a broken arm, broken nose, stitches to six cuts on his face and a large gash in his right leg.

He said: "They cut my eye out for less than £6 worth of drink. Why did they do this to me? My customers say I am a good person.

"I put all my life savings into the shop. Now I have had enough. If I could leave this shop today, I would. I want to leave the area and begin a new life."

He said that in his four years as manager of Food and Wine in London Road he has been robbed repeatedly by teenagers with knives, clubs and imitation firearms, and criticised the "powerless" local police.

"The police don't seem to do anything for shopkeepers. I have had over a hundred incidents of shoplifting and have been held up six times by armed robbers, some as young as 10. The police take the video evidence but they are powerless to act in most cases because they are under-age. If anyone is arrested, two hours later they are released and they are outside my shop threatening me once again."

Det Sgt Brett Walker, of Croydon CID, said: "This was a horrific attack on a local shopkeeper simply trying to earn a living."

Anyone with information is asked to call 020 8649 0179 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.