A gang viciously attacked a school teacher in an attempt to steal her beloved pooches while she was out on her daily morning walk.
The hooded youths punched the woman in the nose when she tried to pull back her lead and stop them from taking her dogs.
Paul McLay stunned Liveline listeners with the horrific story of the unmerciful attack on his sister.
Anne Marie McGlynn walks the same road every morning with her 12-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Collie Cross.
She was attacked by at least three men who were trying to steal her dogs but the courageous woman fought back in an attempt to save her invaluable companions.
A member of the gang punched the poor woman in the face, breaking her nose. Even then, Anne Marie managed to keep hold of her pets.
Paul said: “The guys just hopped out of the van, trying to take the two dogs off her.”
He was horrified by the incident as it had taken place on a summer’s morning, in a busy area. The caller believes that his sister was targeted in a dognapping attempt.
He says there has been a great deal of dog theft by gangs in the area.
The gang left the walker lying on the ground with horrendous injuries to her face.
She was ready to go to great lengths to save her pets from an unthinkable fate, even if it meant putting her own body on the line.
Her brother said: “She was assaulted first and then she went down.
“She tried to punch back.
“She made contact with one of them.”
Throughout the whole ordeal, Anne Marie never let go of her dogs.
The private woman is still greatly upset by the incident and is left searching for answers.
The family is appealing for people in the area at the time to share dashcam and CCTV footage, so that an incident like this never happens again.
He encourages walkers in the area to be aware of their surroundings, as these robberies can happen at any time of the day on the busiest of routes.
