MP reacts to shock attack on Central England Co-op colleague in Leicestershire

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 14/07/2020


A Leicestershire MP has condemned a brutal attack that left a Central England Co-op shopworker injured and in hospital.

Dr Luke Evans, MP for Bosworth, spoke out after an innocent colleague was verbally abused, physically attacked and robbed on Friday 10 July, at the Markfield Co-op Food Store, in Main Street, Leicester.

The parliamentarian praised the work of shopworkers, supported efforts for them to receive better protection and backed calls for the perpetrator to be brought to justice.

The injured colleague has now been released from hospital and is helping Leicestershire Police with their enquiries.

Dr Evans said: “Our shop assistants have been in a very real sense the forgotten heroes of the Coronavirus pandemic, in the early days going to work to support us and putting their own health at risk. We owe them a great deal.

 “No shop worker deserves to be assaulted in the course of their work, in fact they deserve respect and gratitude. I hope that in this case the assailant is tracked down and dealt with to the extent of the law.

“I am reaching out to the victim to offer my support and assistance.”

This latest incident coincides with Central England Co-op campaigning for the Government to change legislation so shop workers are afforded greater protection in carrying out their duties.

It also moved to remind would-be criminals that it has a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to any kind of crime against its colleagues or customers.

Recent figures have seen assaults jump by 100%, threats and intimidation by 25% and verbal abuse by 175% since the start of the year, and since the lockdown was introduced, there have been over 100 incidents related directly to people using COVID-19 as a threat.

A spokesperson for Leicestershire Police said: “Officers were called to a report of an assault just after 3.40pm on Friday 10 July outside a premises in Main Street, Markfield.
“It was reported a man had been verbally aggressive towards another man before pushing him which led to the victim losing consciousness. The suspect then took the victim’s mobile phone before leaving the scene.
“The victim, who is in his 20s, was taken to hospital by ambulance following the incident. He has since been discharged.
“Enquiries are currently ongoing into the incident. Anyone with any information, who has not yet spoken to police, should contact 101 quoting incident 20*353490.”

 

 

Notes to editors

 

 

About Central England Co-operative

 

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK with interests in food, funeral, floral, travel and property investment.

 

Co-operatives have always been there for their communities; they were formed to protect them and help them flourish. 

 

Our 7,900 colleagues who serve Members and customers work hard to ensure that co-operative values, principles and spirit flow through everything we do to help support and improve our local communities.

 

Owned by hundreds of thousands of Members, we have over 430 trading outlets across 16 counties including West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. 

 

We are proud of our reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.

 

We invest a percentage of our trading profit into local communities through our Community Dividend Fund scheme, have donated over £1.3 million to our corporate charity partner Dementia UK and also operate a pioneering food redistribution partnership with FareShare Midlands so unsold food goes to those in need.

 

Visit www.centralengland.coop for more information or follow us on Facebook or Twitter using @mycoopfood

 

 

Press office contacts: Rob Smyth and James Brindle

 

Phone - 01543 421390

 

Email - publicrelations@centralengland.coop