Hunt for mother's stab attacker

Abigail Witchalls teaches English to immigrant women

A young teacher continues to fight for her life as police say they are "determined" to catch a man who stabbed her as she pushed her son in a buggy.

Abigail Witchalls, 26, was attacked on Wednesday afternoon in Little Bookham, Surrey, described by police as one of the safest places in England.

Her condition in St George's Hospital, south London, is "critical".

Ch Supt Rob Price said he had an "open mind" on any links with other cases, such as the Rachel Nickell murder.

Police say they are treating the attack on Mrs Witchalls as attempted murder.

A family friend is reported to have said she was conscious in hospital, but paralysed from the neck down and only able to communicate by blinking.

Her 21-month-old son Joseph was shocked but unhurt and is being looked after by family.

Bedside vigil

Mrs Witchalls was attacked on a lane off the private Burnhams Road in Little Bookham.

Surrey Police said it is not yet known exactly what happened or why she was stabbed.

Ch Supt Price said speculation about a motive, including suggestions of an attempted robbery that went wrong, was "unhelpful".

This is the lowest serious crime area in Surrey which has the lowest serious crime in England and Wales Chief Superintendent Rob Price Surrey Police Surrey 'safest force in UK'

Officers have searched a large area for a weapon but say nothing had been found.

The only description police have given of the attacker is that he was a white man.

Mrs Witchalls' mother, Professor Sheila Hollins, who coincidentally works as a psychiatrist at St George's in Tooting, is at her daughter's bedside.

Mrs Witchalls' husband Benoit was at the family home with relatives.

The attack on Mrs Witchalls made the front pages of most newspapers on Friday.

Police have been criticised for failing to make a public appeal until Thursday - 18 hours after the attack on Mrs Witchalls, who works part-time teaching English to immigrant women.

Officers said it took them some time to establish what happened.

Affluent area

Ch Supt Price, area commander for East Surrey, said police were determined to find the attacker.

Abigail Witchalls received a single stab wound to the neck

He said: "This is obviously a very quiet, suburban, affluent area.

"This type of incident is very, very rare indeed. This is the lowest serious crime area in Surrey, which has the lowest serious crime in England and Wales."

Police said people in the area should not panic and there should not be "additional concern".

He added that it was too early in the investigation to make any links between the stabbing and other high-profile crimes such as the murder of Rachel Nickell, whose killer has never been caught.

"You keep an open mind on something like that," said Ch Supt Price.

"I think it's understandable that people will reflect on other well-known cases but this is early on in the investigation and... the facts are still unclear."

Ironically figures published on Thursday showed that the number of serious violent crimes in Surrey between April and December 2004 was 208, 35% lower than the number for any other police force area.

'Wonderful daughter-in-law'

Father-in-law James Witchalls described his daughter-in-law as a "wonderful" woman.

She is the most lovely woman you can ever imagine James Witchalls

The stab wound was below Mrs Witchalls' neck and went "right below the vertebrae," he told the Evening Standard.

He said: "She is the most lovely woman you can ever imagine.

"She was just on the little walkways when the attacker confronted her and wanted money.

"Obviously, there was a commotion and she was stabbed - she screamed."

Neighbour Robert Hall said he rushed outside after hearing screams and saw Mrs Witchalls on the ground.

"Blood was coming out of her nose and she could not move her head, only her eyes," he said.