Woman attacked while out running in Leamington

The 23-year-old was running along Farley Street on Monday night (March 17) when, at about 9pm, she felt someone grab her hand, which was holding her MP3 player, which she was using to listen to music.

When she resisted the man hit her in the face and ran off with the MP3 player. The woman suffered bruising and swelling to her left eye and cheek bone.

Inspector Wayne Cooke, from the harm reduction unit at Warwickshire and West Mercia Police, said: “Many runners enjoy listening to music during their training because it can help their pace and relieve the tedium of a long run, particularly if the scenery is not very appealing.

“But wearing headphones is dangerous because the wearer, whether running or walking, is not fully aware of their surroundings. They cannot hear the noise of traffic or of someone coming up behind them, which makes them vulnerable to accident or attack. In addition, having a small, valuable item on display can be tempting to thieves who see opportunity to grab and run.

“This victim was doing something which many of her fellow runners do, but the incident is a reminder of the possible consequences.”

Insp Cooke advised that runners who run alone - particularly if training at night - should wear light-coloured clothing or a reflective vest, carry a panic alarm and keep their mobile phone with them - but hidden from view.