Carjacker knocks doctor unconscious

The black Audi TT Quattro was later found abandoned

A woman doctor from Cardiff is recovering after her car was hijacked and stolen in Bristol.

The 31-year-old woman was left unconscious with cuts and bruising to her face and knees following the incident in the Montpelier district of the city on Tuesday.

The victim had an appointment in Bristol

Her black C-reg Audi TT Quattro was later found abandoned on the M5 motorway near Stroud, Gloucestershire.

Avon and Somerset Police are appealing for witnesses who may have seen the robbery, or the culprit abandoning the car on the motorway.

The woman had travelled to Bristol for an appointment on Tuesday evening but had arrived early.

The attack happened at around 1740 BST as she sat in her car in York Road, Montpelier, near the junction with Brook Hill.

Violent struggle

A man grabbed her keys through the open window, unlocked the vehicle and dragged the woman out.

He threw her across the road and got into the driver's seat, but before he managed to drive away the woman grabbed the keys back.

Avon and Somerset police are investigating

The attacker then chased her down the road and threw himself at her, knocking her to the ground.

The woman's head hit the pavement and she lost consciousness.

When she came to, her keys and the car were gone.

The stolen car also contained a briefcase, medical books, patient notes, medical instruments, a pager and two mobile phones.

The vehicle was later found abandoned with a flat tyre just south of junction 13 on the M5 shortly before midnight on Tuesday.

Witness appeal

The thief is described as a man in his late 20s or early 30s, between 5ft 8 and 5ft 10ins tall, of stocky build with short black hair, wearing dark blue clothing.

Avon and Somerset Police are keen to trace a woman in a green car who drove past the scene, or anyone else who witnessed the robbery.

They also want to hear from anyone who saw the vehicle being abandoned on the M5, especially if they noticed anyone hitch-hiking or getting into another vehicle in that area.

Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to phone Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.