Latest news with #SelinaScott
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
ITV legend 'traumatised' after being assaulted and robbed in daylight
Broadcaster Selina Scott has been left 'shattered and traumatised' after being attacked by a gang in London last week. The former ITV News at Ten anchor, 74, has revealed how she fought back during a terrifying attempted robbery in broad daylight. Recalling the incident, the Real Marigold Hotel star said she was leaving a branch of Waterstones in central London when she was struck on the back of her knee, leaving her feeling as if she had been 'stabbed'. Moments later, the gang attempted to snatch her designer backpack, which she tightly held onto, however one of the thieves unzipped it and removed her purse before running off. She lost her bank cards, driving licence, and cash in the robbery, which left her feeling 'embarrassed'. Another group then barged into her and she realised she was being 'attacked from both sides at the same time'. Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Scott said the events were 'so swift and practised that it was clear it was a coordinated assault.' She explained: 'I was right by a busy bus stop, although no one would have known what was going on. 'It was slick, brief and clearly engineered to happen in the middle of a crowd. I still feel shattered after what has happened. I can't believe it happened to me.' 'I'm mentally resilient and physically fit, but if they can attack me in such a brazen way they can attack anyone. You're left feeling not just traumatised, but stupid that you have somehow let it happen.' The presenter, who has interviewed the likes of King Charles and Donald Trump during her career, shared her frustration over the lack of police presence in the capital. 'I'm also furious about the lack of police on our streets. No wonder the gang who set about me have a sense of impunity – they can do anything they want because they know no one will stop them.' A Met Police spokesman said: 'While we understand that the victim was frustrated that she couldn't see any police officers on the street, a significant number of officers patrol the West End every day – not just in uniform on foot, but also in plain clothes and in vehicles to have the best opportunity to identify and apprehend suspects. 'We would be happy to talk to the victim to better understand her concerns.' More Trending Scott originally worked as a journalist in Dundee before making her TV debut on the nightly news programme Grampian Today and later, regional show North Tonight. From there she went national as a newsreader for ITN in 1982 at the height of the Falklands War – with viewing figures soaring as a result of her fronting bulletins. Scott's star rose further as one of the launch team for BBC Breakfast, which began in January 1983. View More » She went on to make a name for herself across the pond, scoring her own chat show on US TV in the 90s before heading back here to front Sky's breakfast show. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Windrush activists rally government to save Notting Hill carnival MORE: Passengers beg to be rescued from train stuck with no air conditioning after 'slowly cooking' MORE: Family's plea for truth after man shot dead in 'case of mistaken identity'
Daily Mirror
11 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
ITV star, 74, 'traumatised' after assault and robbery in daylight by London gang
Selina Scott has revealed she was the victim of a calculated street robbery in central London and was attacked in broad daylight by a group posing as passers-by Veteran broadcaster Selina Scott has revealed she was assaulted and robbed in a frightening daylight ambush in central London. The former ITV News at Ten presenter, 74, recounted being surrounded and attacked by a group of up to eight people as she exited a Waterstones near Piccadilly. The assailants - described as wearing expensive sportswear and appearing East Asian - initially appeared to be ordinary passers-by before suddenly closing in. 'I was right by a busy bus stop, although no one would have known what was going on,' she wrote in the Mail on Sunday. 'It was slick, brief and clearly engineered to happen in the middle of a crowd.' Scott said she was struck behind the knee, initially believing she'd been stabbed, and found herself boxed in. As she clung tightly to her designer backpack, another group rammed into her from the other side. 'I was being attacked from both sides at the same time,' she said. Despite fighting back and holding onto the bag, the attackers managed to unzip it and flee with her purse, which contained cash, cards, and her driving licence. 'I still feel shattered after what has happened. I can't believe it happened to me,' she said. The ordeal has left her physically bruised but emotionally shaken. 'I'm mentally resilient and physically fit, but if they can attack me in such a brazen way they can attack anyone,' she said. 'You're left feeling not just traumatised, but stupid that you have somehow let it happen.' Scott, who famously interviewed Donald Trump during her long career in journalism, expressed outrage over what she sees as a visible absence of law enforcement in the capital. 'I walked up and down some of London's busiest central areas and didn't see a single officer,' she said. 'I'm also furious about the lack of police on our streets. No wonder the gang who set about me have a sense of impunity—they can do anything they want because they know no one will stop them.' The Metropolitan Police responded to the incident by defending their presence in the area, stating: 'While we understand that the victim was frustrated that she couldn't see any police officers on the street, a significant number of officers patrol the West End every day - not just in uniform on foot, but also in plain clothes and in vehicles to have the best opportunity to identify and apprehend suspects. We would be happy to talk to the victim to better understand her concerns.' Scott said she was ultimately relieved the gang did not use a knife - but remains deeply rattled by the experience. 'It was so swift and practised that it was clear it was a coordinated assault,' she said.
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Broadcaster Selina Scott 'stabbed' in the leg by gang who stole her purse in 'traumatising' daylight robbery on busy West End street
Veteran broadcaster Selina Scott has revealed she was viciously attacked and robbed by an organised gang in broad daylight in London last week. Amid growing concerns about the spiralling crime epidemic in the capital, the former ITN News At Ten anchor has described how the terrifying assault – which took place on busy Piccadilly in Central London – left her 'shattered and traumatised'. Ms Scott, 74, a stalwart of British TV since the 1980s, was leaving a branch of Waterstones on Tuesday afternoon when she was struck on the back of her right knee, leaving her feeling as if she had been 'stabbed'. It was then she was set upon by a gang who attempted to grab her backpack. With astonishing bravery given they were carrying what appeared to be a weapon, Ms Scott fought back and was able to keep hold of the bag – only for one of the practised thieves to deftly unzip it and remove her purse before running off. She lost her bank cards, driving licence, and cash in the robbery, which left her feeling 'embarrassed and stupid'. But the incident raises damning questions about the Metropolitan Police's failure to robustly tackle such crimes amid a staggering 23.5 per cent increase in similar thefts in the last year alone. Ms Scott says she felt 'furious' at the lack of a police presence to deter or capture the criminals, despite being told by officers that such muggings were 'rife'. Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Ms Scott said: 'I still feel shattered after what has happened. I can't believe it happened to me. 'I'm mentally resilient and physically fit, but if they can attack me in such a brazen way they can attack anyone. You're left feeling not just traumatised but stupid that you have somehow let it happen. 'I'm also furious about the lack of police on our streets. No wonder the gang who set about me have a sense of impunity – they can do anything they want because they know no one will stop them.' Ms Scott, who spends most of her time on her 200-acre estate in North Yorkshire, said she was attacked by 'around seven or eight' smartly dressed men and women, who appeared to be of East Asian origin. Ms Scott did not require medical attention but suffered severe bruising to her leg in the assault. 'I am now only too relieved it wasn't a knife they used,' she says. A Met Police spokesman said: 'While we understand that the victim was frustrated that she couldn't see any police officers on the street, a significant number of officers patrol the West End every day – not just in uniform on foot, but also in plain clothes and in vehicles to have the best opportunity to identify and apprehend suspects. 'We would be happy to talk to the victim to better understand her concerns.' London reminds me of lawless New York when I worked there in the 1990s. Why won't Sadiq Khan emulate mayor Bloomberg's zero tolerance crackdown? By Selina Scott Stepping out of Waterstones bookstore on Piccadilly in Central London on Tuesday afternoon, I felt a sudden blow to the back of my right knee, and a sharp jab of pain. It was so unexpected, and hurt so intensely, that the force of it propelled me forward. I stumbled, narrowly avoiding a fall. My initial reaction was simply that I had been stabbed. Then, as a young woman barged by, I wondered if the large bag she was carrying had caught me. It appeared to have sharp metal edging around the corners. A careless accident then, souring what was an otherwise gorgeous summer's day in which I'd come down from my farm in North Yorkshire and planned to visit the Royal Academy of Art and perhaps dip inside the cool interior of London's most beautiful church, St James's. Only, what happened next proved me horribly wrong. The events of the next few seconds were so swift and practised that it was clear it was a coordinated assault. A casually dressed group of seven or eight men and women of East Asian origin who had been walking in front of me, dressed in expensive sportswear, had turned and hemmed me in. One grabbed the straps from a designer Tumi backpack I had slung over my left shoulder and attempted to wrench it off. Shock and instinct made me hold on to the bag with a tight grip, as another member of the group barged into me. I realised, with growing alarm, that I was being attacked from both sides at the same time. I was right by a busy bus stop, although no one would have known what was going on. It was slick, brief and clearly engineered to happen in the middle of a crowd. Then it was over, as quickly as it had begun. I'd held on to my bag, still over my shoulder, and the gang, laughing, walked briskly ahead in the direction of The Ritz hotel. Feeling battered, confused and a little humiliated, I sought the sanctuary of Fortnum & Mason, a few hundred yards ahead. There, I realised, to my horror, that my bag's zip had been pulled back, it was wide open, and my purse, which held all my cash and cards had gone. My driving licence had also been taken, which gave the thieves my address. My heart dropped. I felt sick. Furious, too – the victim of targeted and well-rehearsed attack. Had the jab to the back of my leg meant to floor or distract me? My heart dropped. I felt sick. Furious, too – the victim of targeted and well-rehearsed attack. Had the jab to the back of my leg meant to floor or distract me? Either way, suddenly alone in the centre of a city I no longer recognised, I couldn't have felt more vulnerable. I resolved to find a police officer, but despite walking up and down some of London's busiest central areas – down Jermyn Street, along Piccadilly and over to Leicester Square – I saw none. West End Central police station, which would have been a ten-minute walk away, had closed permanently in 2021 after being sold to developers for a reported £50 million. No wonder opportunistic crimes like these are on the rise when bobbies have all but abandoned their beats. Giving up, I headed home, walking the three miles to my flat in Kensington because I had no cards with which to pay for a bus or taxi. Dazed and shattered, and with the pain in my leg only growing, I took a breather in Hyde Park to register the crime on my phone using the Met's online form. The next day I received a call to say that officers from Hammersmith police station would come to take a statement from me at 8am the following morning. But at the time they were due to arrive, they rang to say they couldn't come because they couldn't find an available police car. Really? The station is barely a half-hour walk away. Disappointed, I had to make do with discussing it over the phone with the officer instead. Such muggings were, he said, 'rife' in the capital at the moment. He asked if I wanted to take it any further and, honestly, I didn't. The pointlessness of reporting a crime so long after the event is infuriating – it's a tick-box exercise, nothing more. The chances of the police catching a gang with my vague description of their clothes and ethnicity must be almost nil. Ultimately, pursuing a report would mean me enduring a bureaucratic hurdle – filling in more forms online, having more phone calls. And for what? All of this could have been avoided if there were more police on our streets, which would serve as a deterrent to these thugs. It's futile having a police force at all in London if they can't adequately react to something like this. No wonder that gang had such a sense of impunity – they can do anything they want because they know no one will stop them. I've since learned that the CCTV outside Waterstones hasn't been operating for a year because of works on the building, so there will be no record of my assault. Did the gang know that? Thinking back, I wonder if I was targeted after one of the gang watched me pay for the books I'd bought in Waterstones. When I returned to Yorkshire on Friday morning, I passed through King's Cross station and there were big notices and announcements on a regular basis saying, 'Please take care, thieves are operating', and assuring travellers they were working closely with the police. What police? Where? It was galling. The truth is that London is not the city I used to know. Crimes like mine have rocketed more than 23 per cent in a year. It reminds me of lawless New York in the 1990s when I worked for CBS television. Times Square was so crime-ridden it was a no-go area. Yet the first priority of the Mayor of London should be to protect the public from lawlessness and keep police stations open in crime hotspots. Sir Sadiq Khan has instead overseen their wholesale closure. He would do well to learn from Michael Bloomberg who, when he became New York's mayor in 2002, said there would be zero tolerance of violence and robberies on the street. He launched a public safety initiative and dramatically increased 'stop and frisk' searches. The city became a place where you felt safe once more. Thankfully, although I'm licking my wounds from the attack, I am strong and fit from working every day on the fields and woodlands at my home. What chance do the frail and the weak have in London when confronted by the same thing? Certainly I'd advise anyone not to carry anything that might make them a target; be it a bag, a watch or jewellery. I will have, for some time, a visible reminder of the day I was mugged in London. What weapon my attackers had used to cause the bruise behind my knee, I don't know but at least it wasn't a knife. My bruise will pass but the mental scar will linger. Unless crimes like these are tackled, however, others may not be so fortunate.
Scottish Sun
12 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
TV star Selina Scott viciously attacked and robbed by gang of eight in lawless London as she slams police
The former ITV news anchor says she tried to fight off the gang in Piccadilly 'shattered & traumatised' TV star Selina Scott viciously attacked and robbed by gang of eight in lawless London as she slams police Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BROADCASTER Selina Scott was viciously attacked and robbed by a gang in broad daylight last week, she revealed. The ex-ITV News at Ten anchor, 74, bravely fought back but said the ordeal left her 'shattered and traumatised'. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Selina Scott says she was robbed after being attacked by a gang in London Credit: Getty Images - Getty She said she was leaving a Waterstones in Piccadilly, Central London, when she was struck on the back of her right knee and thought she had been stabbed. A gang of around seven or eight men and women, in expensive sportswear and seemingly of East Asian origin, who were in front of her then turned and hemmed her in. They tried to grab her designer backpack, which she tightly held onto. Another group then barged into her and she realised she was being 'attacked from both sides at the same time'. Selina managed to keep hold of the bag when she fought back and the gang walked off laughing. She later realised they managed to unzip the bag and take her purse, which had her driving license, cards and cash. Ms Scott, a TV icon since the 1980s who famously interviewed Donald Trump, slammed the lack of police presence to deter or catch the criminal thugs. She said she walked 'up and down some of London's busiest central areas' and did not see a single officer. The journalist wrote in the Mail on Sunday that the events were 'so swift and practised that it was clear it was a coordinated assault." She added: 'I was right by a busy bus stop, although no one would have known what was going on. "It was slick, brief and clearly engineered to happen in the middle of a crowd. 'I still feel shattered after what has happened. I can't believe it happened to me. 'I'm mentally resilient and physically fit, but if they can attack me in such a brazen way they can attack anyone. 'You're left feeling not just traumatised, but stupid that you have somehow let it happen. 'I'm also furious about the lack of police on our streets. No wonder the gang who set about me have a sense of impunity - they can do anything they want because they know no one will stop them.' She suffered bruising to her leg but said she was relieved they did not use a knife. The Met Police said: 'While we understand that the victim was frustrated that she couldn't see any police officers on the street, a significant number of officers patrol the West End every day - not just in uniform on foot, but also in plain clothes and in vehicles to have the best opportunity to identify and apprehend suspects. 'We would be happy to talk to the victim to better understand her concerns.'
The Sun
12 hours ago
- The Sun
TV star Selina Scott viciously attacked and robbed by gang of eight in lawless London as she slams police
BROADCASTER Selina Scott was viciously attacked and robbed by a gang in broad daylight last week, she revealed. The ex- ITV News at Ten anchor, 74, bravely fought back but said the ordeal left her 'shattered and traumatised'. She said she was leaving a Waterstones in Piccadilly, Central London, when she was struck on the back of her right knee and thought she had been stabbed. A gang of around seven or eight men and women, in expensive sportswear and seemingly of East Asian origin, who were in front of her then turned and hemmed her in. They tried to grab her designer backpack, which she tightly held onto. Another group then barged into her and she realised she was being 'attacked from both sides at the same time'. Selina managed to keep hold of the bag when she fought back and the gang walked off laughing. She later realised they managed to unzip the bag and take her purse, which had her driving license, cards and cash. Ms Scott, a TV icon since the 1980s who famously interviewed Donald Trump, slammed the lack of police presence to deter or catch the criminal thugs. She said she walked 'up and down some of London's busiest central areas' and did not see a single officer. The journalist wrote in the Mail on Sunday that the events were 'so swift and practised that it was clear it was a coordinated assault." She added: 'I was right by a busy bus stop, although no one would have known what was going on. "It was slick, brief and clearly engineered to happen in the middle of a crowd. 'I still feel shattered after what has happened. I can't believe it happened to me. 'I'm mentally resilient and physically fit, but if they can attack me in such a brazen way they can attack anyone. 'You're left feeling not just traumatised, but stupid that you have somehow let it happen. 'I'm also furious about the lack of police on our streets. No wonder the gang who set about me have a sense of impunity - they can do anything they want because they know no one will stop them.' She suffered bruising to her leg but said she was relieved they did not use a knife. The Met Police said: 'While we understand that the victim was frustrated that she couldn't see any police officers on the street, a significant number of officers patrol the West End every day - not just in uniform on foot, but also in plain clothes and in vehicles to have the best opportunity to identify and apprehend suspects. 'We would be happy to talk to the victim to better understand her concerns.' 2
