A PARAMEDIC said he was "gobsmacked" when nobody went to help his 18-year-old daughter after she was attacked in a park.
Morgan Foord, 18, was taking a walk in Broadwater Green, Worthing, on Monday afternoon when she was punched in the face and knocked unconscious.
She woke up on the floor to find her bank card and driver's licence had been stolen.
Morgan went to hospital for treatment after the incident, which is now being investigated by Sussex Police.
Her father Keith is now calling on communities up and down the country to take more responsibility and look after each other.
"My daughter, Morgan, went for a walk, as she does once a day," the 43-year-old from Worthing said.
"Someone approached her and asked her if she had any money. When she said no, he punched her im the face."
The apprentice childcare practitioner's phone was smashed and left on the ground next to her.
"We couldn't contact her for about 20 minutes," Keith said.
"Then she made contact with her sister, who is 16, and said, 'something terrible has happened'."
Keith said he was left shocked by the incident, not only because his daughter had been brutally attacked in broad daylight, but also because no one had come to her aid.
He said: "I'm absolutely gobsmacked that nobody stopped to help, it's really concerning. With everything that is going on in the world today, anything could have happened to her.
"I'm just glad she is alive and able to tell us what happened, but I can't believe no one stopped. These are essentially our neighbours.
"What is the state of our community when people are happy to walk past something like this? This was an assault in broad daylight and no one did anything.
"It doesn't take much to stop your car and call 999. People need to stand up and look out for each other.
"This should be a shout to the community that we are not going to put up with this sort of behaviour. It's easy to like something on Facebook or Twitter, but harder to intervene in real life.
"And, if there is someone out there doing this, we need to look out for each other."
Sussex Police took a statement from the family on Monday evening and officers are now investigating the robbery. The Foord family took Morgan to hospital that night, and had to return on Thursday as she was still feeling nauseous and dizzy due to her injury. Her face was left bruised and swollen by the force of the blow.
A Sussex Police spokeswoman said: "Police are investigating after a woman was robbed in Broadwater Green, Worthing.
"The 18-year-old victim was walking around 4.30pm on Monday, March 15, when she was approached by a man who asked if she had any money.
"When the victim said no, the suspect punched her and took her bank card and ID.
"An 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of robbery and has been released under investigation while enquiries continue.
"Anyone who witnessed the robbery, or who may have any other information, is asked to contact police online or by calling 101 quoting serial 1138 of 15/03.
"Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."
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