A good Samaritan pensioner and breast cancer survivor was brutally attacked by “low-life scum” on Margate seafront.

She had walked with her husband to The Mechanical Elephant in Marine Terrace.

Dinner out was a treat in advance of an early start the next day, for the elderly woman who was due to cook Christmas dinner at the care home where she works.

In a bid to trace those responsible for the horrific experience that followed, their daughter Caroline Ratcliffe has described what happened next.

Her parents had sat back with their drinks and had noticed two men and a woman sat at one table, helping themselves to a bottle of wine being enjoyed by a “pretty well dressed lady” sat separately on her own.

Ms Ratcliffe said: “When the smart dressed lady went to the bar with her purse, the trio picked up her coat and bag and went to leave with them.

“Both my parents jumped up from their table and snatched the items away from the trio of thieves, as any local people can imagine, there was a resultant barrage of vile obscenities from the trio who claimed the smart dressed woman was their friend and they were just looking after her item - by taking them outside?

“On hearing the commotion, the smart dressed lady and Wetherspoons staff ran over to assist my 65 and 68-year-old parents trying to tackle the trio.

"The smart dressed lady confirmed that she didn’t know ANY of the trio and the Wetherspoons staff asked the trio to leave, but they refused. Everyone involved returned to their tables and carried on with their dinner and drinks.

“When my parents had finished around 6pm, they decided to go home. They walked out of Wetherspoons and turned towards Dreamland to go home, dad was in front as mum was fiddling with her coat zip.

"Out of nowhere, the trio of thieves appeared, the woman pushed my mother hard to the floor where she split her head open on the bus stop and while down the girl stamped on her pelvis.

“Passers by ran to my parents’ aid and the trio scarpered. The kind hearted locals held mum’s hand, stemmed the bleeding from her head, dialled 999 and even flagged down a passing ambulance who treated mum at the scene. The police soon arrived to take everyone’s statements and eventually drove my scared and frightened parents home.”

Ms Ratcliffe’s mother was left with bruises to her spine, her pelvis, a large one around her eye socket and temporal lobe, from either a punch or a kick, and blood in her hair.

“Does anyone know the low-life scum that did this disgusting act to a recent breast cancer survivor?” - Caroline Ratcliffe

Her daughter said: “Does anyone know the low-life scum that did this disgusting act to a recent breast cancer survivor?”

She said they are described as a young man aged about 25, with fair hair, grey track suit bottoms and grey fleece top. The second man looked to be in his late 30s/early 40s, he was tall, wearing a Fairisle bobble hat, a grey jacket and with a blue JD sports bag on his shoulder.

The female attacker had a black coat, straggly black dyed hair, black eyes and was aged in her late 20s.

All three were smokers.

Ms Ratcliffe is urging anyone who knows the “smartly-dressed lady” to contact the police because they need her statement.

She also wants to buy a drink for all the passers by who helped her parents that night at arond 4.30pm on Christmas Eve.

Ms Ratcliffe added: “During mum’s cancer battle, she never once took a day off sick but as a result of this attack, she had to call in sick at work on Christmas Day and let her residents down, something she just can’t forgive herself for. This really did ruin Christmas for all of us.”

She is urging anyone who knows anything to contact Kent Police or to email her directly at: royalbarkshirebiscuits@sky.com

A Kent police spokesman said: “Police were called at 6.14pm to reports that a 65 year-old woman had been assaulted whilst standing at a bus stop close to Marine Terrace.

“It is believed the victim was pushed over following an earlier argument, which took place in a nearby pub. The victim suffered a cut to her head which was not believed to be serious.

“Officers investigating the incident are looking to identify another female and two men who are believed to have been involved.”