A pregnant woman was kicked in the stomach and punched in the face by a man in an Aberdeen supermarket.
Police are studying CCTV footage as they hunt for the attacker and last night urged anyone who witnessed the assault in the Asda store at the beach retail park to come forward.
Kirstyn McGregor, who is four months pregnant with her first child, spent several hours in hospital undergoing a series of scans and checks before experts broke the good news that her baby hadn’t been harmed.
The 20-year-old from the Rosemount area of the city said she was horrified that no one tried to stop the attack and hoped witnesses would do the right thing and help police track down the thug responsible.
“Thankfully everything was OK and no damage was done to my baby,” she said. “That was my biggest concern.
“Hopefully someone will know who this guy is and he will be caught.”
Miss McGregor had gone to the store on her lunch break from the nearby Codona’s amusement park, where she works as a receptionist, when the incident happened on Thursday.
As she was walking out through the front entrance, the man bashed into her with his trolley while she was speaking to her mother, Isabelle Whyte, from Fyvie, on the telephone.
“I never thought anything of it but then he did it again and I asked him what he was playing at and he started screaming abuse at me,” she said.
“I don’t remember what I said, but I know I shouted back at him, then he kicked me in the stomach.
“He blocked the door with his trolley so I couldn’t get out and then I tried to hit him back and he punched me in the face while his wife or girlfriend acted like it was me that was the problem.”
The former Turriff Academy pupil said the pair then walked out of the store and towards the Beach Boulevard, while she was left alone and in tears.
She said: “It wasn’t hectic, but there were people about, yet no one stepped in, they just let it happen.
“Some folk did ask if I was OK, but I was in so much shock I couldn’t stop crying and just wanted to be alone.
“I went back to work and locked myself in the toilets and cried for about an hour before my mum phoned my boyfriend to see what was going on.”
Miss McGregor’s partner, Lee Storey, 25, also works at Codona’s and rushed to her side when he heard about her ordeal.
She said: “My boyfriend came and picked me up and took me straight to hospital.
“We were there for about three hours but thankfully everything was OK and no damage was done to my baby.
“That was my biggest concern, I knew that I was OK, it was my child I was most concerned about.”
An Asda spokeswoman said staff had not been made aware of any assault taking place within the store.
But last night police confirmed they were investigating and said officers would be looking closely at CCTV footage from the area in the hope of identifying the assailant.
A police spokesman said: “We can confirm that we received a report of an assault within the Asda supermarket at Aberdeen Beach on Thursday.
“The victim suffered no serious injuries, but was left badly shaken. “We currently have no named suspect. However, CCTV footage has been obtained and we are actively looking for anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward.”
The attacker was in his 40s and spoke with a local accent. He was about 5ft 11in with close-shaved light or grey hair and was wearing dark clothing.
His partner had short off-brown hair and also spoke with a local accent.
Anyone with information should telephone Police Scotland on 101.