Edition:24/11/2006 47chesterchron / Section:Chester City Chronicle / Zone:Chester Chron City / Page:1 / Proofed by:mbrennan CHESTER Friday, November 24, 2006 The Chronicle 65p BEST WEEKLY NEWSPAPER IN THE NORTH 64730369BR MEET OUR CHAMPIONS Four-page special on county’s unsung heroes – pages 30-33 HEAD LINES Tory party showdown Meeting called to discuss candidate’s future The hole-in-one schoolboy Carl’s ace bags him a trophy The definitive pull-out guide to entertainment, arts and leisure Inside today The Guide * Page 82 Page 5 Take a break Win a luxury two-night stay at fantastic Cheltenham hotel The Guide A child’s Christmas Page 7 How you can help boost our toy appeal My ordeal at hands of gang Full story: pages 8 & 9 Beaten, bruised, but still defiant, courageous student Robyn insists: I would stand up to gang again EXCLUSIVE by Rebecca Taylor A DEFIANT young woman beaten unconscious for confronting a gang of teenagers says she would do it again to protect her home. Chester University student Robyn Pelling, 19, was put in hospital by a gang of 20 youths she had tried to stop des- troying the fence of her Kingsway digs. When she shouted at them, a number of the 15- to 16-year-olds beat her with the wooden fence posts. She said: ‘I would do it again – this is my first house and it is a lovely house so if someone damages it I want to know why they have done it. ‘Apparently they had been going up and down the streets damaging things that night, so I am glad I stood up to them – somebody had to.’ The second year archaeology student, a member of Chester University Martial Arts Society, was hospitalised for five days after the Bonfire Night incident. She said: ‘The bone above and below my eye is fractured and my eyebrow and eyelid were basically hanging off. ‘I need to have eye surgery because the retina has become loose so I find it hard to focus in one eye and have a blind spot. ‘I had a deep cut in my head that needed five stitches and it has damaged a nerve so I can’t feel anything on one side of my skull. My thumb is also fractured.’ DC Andy Kevan said: ‘We would en- courage anyone worried about damage to their property to call the emergency services out. Keep an eye on what is happening, take descriptions of offend- ers, but don’t put yourself at risk.’ ■ Call DC Kevan on 01244 613134 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. HORRIFIC INJURIES: a police photograph of assault victim Robyn Pelling reveals the savagery of the attack. TC211106rob-003