KONGA

Thursday 27 February 2014

Ordeal of schoolgirl, 16, scarred after two masked men burst into her home and attacked her with a crowbar and a sledgehammer

A schoolgirl has been left scarred after being attacked with a crowbar and a sledgehammer by two masked men who burst into her home.
Shannon James, 16, underwent plastic surgery and was left with nerve damage in the wake of the attack on her and her mother Rebecca, 42.
The A-level student also needs to take sleeping pills after being left traumatised after the men burst into the £350,000 property in Ashington, near Horsham, West Sussex, posing as police officers.
Anguish: Shannon's mother Rebecca James, 42, (left) said: 'They scarred Shannon's head but they scarred me mentally'
Anguish: Shannon's mother Rebecca James, 42, (left) said: 'They scarred Shannon's head but they scarred me mentally'
Now: Shannon James still has scarring to her forehead (right) in the wake of the attackThen: Shannon James after undergoing emergency surgery. She was battered over the head by raiders who burst into her home
Then and now: Shannon James (left) after undergoing emergency surgery has been left with scars on the right-hand side of her forehead (right)

Shannon's family are offering a £12,000 reward to catch the culprits.
The teenager, who has 22 stitches in her head after undergoing emergency plastic surgery, said: 'I was really scared and tried to hide in my room.
'Then I heard my mum screaming and went onto the landing to see her lying against the wall.
 
'I ran at the man and told him to leave my mum alone and then blacked out because he hit me twice - once on the forehead and the top of my head.
Wound: A large cut to Shannon's forehead after she was attacked by the raiders who burst into her home in Ashington, West Sussex
Wound: A large cut to Shannon's forehead after she was attacked by the raiders who burst into her home in Ashington, West Sussex

'All I remember is screaming "I'm going to die, I'm going to die". I genuinely thought we were all going to die, I really did. It was the scariest thing ever.'

Shannon, an only child, crawled back into her bedroom and tried to unlock her mobile phone to dial 999, but it was covered in blood.
Her mum desperately tried the house phone and then ran to a neighbour's property to call for help.
Paramedics rushed the pair to hospital and Shannon later underwent a two-hour operation. She has been left with a scar in the middle of her forehead and on the right side of her head, under her hairline. She still suffers headaches.
Shannon, who hopes to study architecture at university, added: 'How could they do it?
'People ask me every day how I got my scar. I don't like to tell them. I can't wear make-up; it feels strange to touch it.
'I'm alright now but it is still there. The moment I wake up I think about it. I say to myself, "get over it" but you can't.
'What could I have done to change it? It happened so fast. It was horrible. The attack had a huge effect on me and I still get nightmares.



'It's scary to be honest knowing those men are out there. If I see a man walking down the street I'll cross over the road to avoid him.'
The robbers smashed two glass panels in the family's front door to enter the house at around 9pm, as they were settling down for an early night.
Shannon added: 'My scar is still quite numb and feels horrible, there's a tingling sensation from where the surgeons had to stretch my skin.
'I get quite a lot of people looking at me and asking how I got my scar. It's a constant reminder of what happens.
'My mother still cries every day she sees it and says she cannot ever get over it.'
Second wound: Shannon also suffered a second cut to her head underneath her hair (pictured)
Head injury: Shannon, an only child, crawled back into her bedroom and tried to unlock her mobile phone to dial 999, but it was covered in blood
Second wound: Shannon also suffered a second cut to her head underneath her hair in the attack in her home

Miss James' mother Rebecca James, 42, also suffered at the hands of the balaclava-clad intruders.
They shouted 'police, police' before entering the home she shares with partner Graham Childs, an electrician, and hitting her with a sledgehammer.
Miss James, a health and social care worker, wept as she recalled the terrifying incident last August.
She and Mr Childs, 47, rushed out onto the upstairs hallway after her daughter called out after hearing some banging.
Miss James said: 'We got halfway down the stairs and I shouted out "Who is it?"
Cut: Another wound to Shannon's hand which she suffered during the attack in her family home last August
Cut: Another wound to Shannon's hand which she suffered during the attack in her family home last August

'There was a pause and then someone shouted, "police, police".
'The men wearing balaclavas rushed in and straight away we knew they were not police. The man with the sledgehammer came at me and without saying anything hit me over the head with it.
'I remember falling forwards, then backwards and my partner grabbed me and tried to help me back up stairs.
'The man with the crowbar came running up the stairs and I put my hand up to stop him from hitting me and got a cut on my hand.
'I thought "thank god he's missed me' but then the next thing I heard was Shannon screaming "I am dying". There was blood everywhere - even all over the phone as I dialled 999.
'The men ran off without taking anything and Shannon was raced to hospital in Chichester and had microsurgery on her forehead. It is a lot to watch your kid in the operating theatre.'
Breaking down, she added: 'They scarred Shannon's head but they scarred me mentally.
'These people need to be caught - they are dangerous people. There was no motive and I need closure. 'We are always asking, "why?"
'I'm supposed to be a mother and I failed to protect my child in her own home. The whole attack has left me very, very sad and emotional.


'Seeing Shannon lying in the hospital bed was awful - you can imagine how that would make any mother feel.

'Until these men are caught and prosecuted, we have no answers for what they did.
Attack: The raiders burst into the family home on this road in Ashington, West Sussex
Attack: The raiders burst into the family home on this road in Ashington, West Sussex
'Nothing spooked them, they simply walked away. I have my days, but the raid is on my mind every day.
'Shannon and I share something that we will never ever be able to forget. It's scary still living here with that fear that they will come back and do it all over again. We're always on our guard.'
Detectives at Sussex Police urged anyone who recognised the descriptions of the attackers to come forward.
Detective Constable Katy Lewis, from Sussex Police, said: 'The attackers are both described as tall, white men.
'The one with the sledgehammer was stocky and big and the other man is described as slimmer. They were dressed all in black and wearing balaclavas.
'We believe a green VW Golf which was found burnt out in Storrington, West Sussex, the next day could be connected to the attack.
'We are hoping someone might have seen this car being driven in Ashington either before or after the attack that could help us.
'This was a terrifying attack for the whole family and they are still suffering the effects now.
'If you know something that could help us find the people responsible please get in contact.'

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