'Nutter' attack on church in St Paul's Cray was 'like something out of a horror film' (From This Is Local London)

'Nutter' attack on St Barnabas church in St Paul's Cray was 'like something out of a horror film'

9:58am Wednesday 1st August 2012 in Where I Live By Robert Fisk

A BARBERSHOP singer has described the moment a masked armed ‘nutter’ burst into a rehearsal as ‘something out of a horror film’.

Ginny Warner and the Velvet Harmony group had locked themselves into the hall at St Barnabas Church, Rushet Road, St Paul’s Cray, after being warned a man had been smashing windows of the church.

He had smashed up windows at the vicarage and the vicar’s car before approaching the hall.

The group of women had locked themselves inside and pulled the curtains and turned off the lights to make it look like no-one was there.

And while Mrs Warner was on the phone to the police while peeking through the curtains the masked man burst through into the hall.

She said: “He tried the door as we were in there and could not get in so he went round the back.

“We decided to barricade ourselves in to the small hall.

“We were really panicking by then and the guy barged in through the dividing door between the halls at which point I screamed and charged for the door.

“It was like a stampede and one of the more elderly women fell or she was pushed by the nutter and he was hitting her with the walking stick and kicking her in the base of the spine.”

The attack only ended when a man, who is believed to live in the street, bundled the attacker to the ground and with the help of another man held him down until the police arrived.

Mrs Warner, 52, added: “An amazing black guy came over and tackled the bloke and was an absolute hero.

“Afterwards a policewoman said to me the man had a machete and my blood ran cold.

“It was just horrendous when he burst through that door, it was like something out from a horror film.”

A 56-year-old man has been arrested for assault and criminal damage and is currently being treated in hospital for a hand injury.

Five people - two women, one in her eighties, another aged approximately 60, and three men - one aged 84 and two aged in their sixties were injured.
None of the injuries are believed to be serious.

None of the injuries were caused by the machete.