A pensioner was left “shaken up” after being robbed as he left a bookies in Lewisham.
Fred Lawrence, 76, was visiting friends in Forest Hill before he returned home to Blackpool.
Before starting his journey home on Monday (July 16) Fred went into William Hill in Dartmouth Road to try his luck on the roulette.
After twice getting lucky and winning hundreds of pounds, he exited the shop while placing his winnings in his wallet.
His wife Barbara spoke to News Shopper about what happened.
She said: “He walked out of the shop and as he walked near the subway he felt a crack. A man said ‘give me the f-ing money’ and put his arm across his chest and up his neck.
“Fred smacked him in the mouth and said ‘you’re not getting my money’ and they both fell to the ground with the guy's arms wrapped around him.
“His phone and wallet slid out of his pocket, and the guy picked up the wallet and ran.”
Babara said her husband has cuts and bruises to his arms and back.
“He is putting on a brave face but he is a bit shaken up,” Barbara said. “He can’t stop talking about it and doesn’t understand why it happened to him.”
According to the victim, the man who attacked him was six foot tall and dark skinned.
Fred and his family now want the culprit to face justice.
A spokesman for the Met Police said: “We were called at approximately 5.40pm on Monday to reports of a 76-year-old man having been robbed outside Forest Hill railway station, Devonshire Road.
“The victim told officers the suspect approached him from behind, pushed him to the floor and robbed him.”
No arrests have been made.
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