Hunt continues for attacker

Police have said that they are "determined" to catch the attacker who has left a young mother fighting for her life in hospital

Abigail Witchalls, 26, stabbed in the neck in a lane off the private Burnhams Road in the wealthy commuter village of Little Bookham, Surrey, on Wednesday afternoon.

The part-time teacher is fighting for her life in hospital.

Her mother, Professor Sheila Hollins, a psychiatrist who has been elected as President of the Royal College of Psychiatry, was tonight at her daughter's bedside at St George's Hospital, in Tooting, south London.

A friend of the Witchalls tonight claimed Abigail has been able to communicate by blinking, but police confirmed that she is critically ill.

Her attacker remains on the loose and officers have been criticised for failing to make a public appeal for help until today.

It is understood Mrs Witchalls was approached by a white man who demanded cash and stabbed her as she screamed for help.

Chief Superintendent Rob Price, divisional commander for east Surrey, said: "This is obviously a very quiet, suburban, affluent area. This type of serious incident is very, very rare indeed.

"However, Surrey Police are determined to find the offender who committed this crime."

A family friend leaving the Witchalls' farmhouse home said Abigail was conscious.

The woman, who declined to give her name, said: "She can't say anything. Her mum is with her at the moment. She just communicates with blinks, but she says she's happy.

"She's paralysed from the neck down, but she is conscious."

The friend added: "They go through the letters, and she says H-A-P-P-Y - when they get to H, Abigail sort of blinks."

She said that the family are devout Catholics and hospital staff confirmed that Mrs Hollins has been too distressed to talk about her daughter's condition.

Mrs Hollins, is head of the department of mental health at St George's Hospital medical school - the same place where her daughter is being treated.

Defending the 18-hour delay in issuing an appeal for public help to find the attacker, a spokeswoman for Surrey police said: "It took some time yesterday evening to establish exactly what had happened.

"Bearing in mind that nobody had actually seen the incident take place, before going out with an appeal that would alarm the public we wanted to make sure that we had the facts absolutely correct."