A woman was injured after being robbed by two teenagers in Norton.
The victim, in her thirties, suffered minor injuries to her face and knee in a fall to the ground when the two youths pulled at her handbag as she walked alone on Beaconsfield Road.
Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident.
A spokeswoman for Cleveland Police said two teenagers approached the woman and pulled her handbag by the strap from her shoulder, causing her to fall to the ground and sustain minor injuries to her face and knee. The men made off with the bag.
The incident took place between 9.30pm and 9.35pm on Sunday.
Norton Councillors Steve and Kathryn Nelson came in for some criticism on Facebook after they wrote a post in which they said they had checked with police and no reports of such a robbery had been received.
However, police confirmed the incident was not reported to police until 7.40pm on Tuesday - after the councillors’ post went up.
Cllr Nelson said: “We saw comments on Facebook relating to a reported robbery in Norton and we were also approached by elderly local residents expressing concerns, so we decided to clarify the situation with the police. “The police informed us twice that no reports of a robbery had been received, and we posted that on our Facebook page just after 7pm on Tuesday evening to try to clarify the situation.
“We were subsequently informed by police that shortly afterwards, somebody reported the robbery.”
The first suspect is described as a white male, around 5ft 4in, of slim build, aged between 15-18 years old, wearing a dark tracksuit or sports clothing and a baseball cap.
The second is described as white, around 5ft 8in, of slim build, again aged 15-18 years old and wearing similar clothing but darker in colour.
Acting Inspector Chris Stoddart, from the Norton neighbourhood policing team, said: “This has been a traumatic experience for the victim and we would urge anyone with information regarding the incident or the suspects to contact police.
“Whilst we would always encourage people to be conscious of their surroundings in any circumstances, if members of the public are out during hours of darkness it is particularly poignant that they remain vigilant. This is the first reported robbery of this nature in the Norton North area in the last 12 months and we would appeal for the public’s help in finding those responsible.”
Anyone with information regarding the suspects or any witnesses to the incident are asked to contact Detective Sgt Kenneth Clark from Stockton Volume Crime Team on the non-emergency number 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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