A brave mum has spoken about the terrifying moment she confronted intruders who entered her home and hit her over the head with a crowbar.

Mamta Mathur was with her husband and children when the two men broke into their home in Cromwell Road, South View, on Friday, August 28, and attacked her, leaving her bleeding and unconscious.

Mamta, 44, was talking to her husband when she looked up to see a man standing in front of her, wearing all black and carrying an iron rod.

“In that millisecond I had so many thoughts,” she told the Gazette. “I thought what if he’s here to harm me or my teenage daughters or my husband.”

The brave mother-of-three said her “motherly instincts” kicked in and she knew she needed to protect her family.

Read the full story in this week's paper. Also:

  • The Anvil in Basingstoke has made the decision not to re-open this year, despite the government allowing theatres to welcome back socially distanced audiences from August 15.
  • A new Greek restaurant opened in Basingstoke on Saturday, welcoming around 200 people throughout the day.
  • An agreement has been struck for a temporary morgue to be set-up in Basingstoke if needed during a second wave of coronavirus.
  • A man from Basingstoke was found in possession of more than 178,000 child sex abuse images, including of newborn babies and toddlers, a court has heard.
  • A man has been found guilty of abusing children at a film club he ran in Oakridge during the 1980s.
  • The council leader is confident that a new hospital will come to Basingstoke and Deane. Cllr Ken Rhatigan said that he is in discussions with Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) “every day that goes by”.
  • Plans to build a huge, brand new business park in Basingstoke are underway with up to 250 jobs expected to be created as a result.
  • People who drop rubbish are being labelled as ‘lazy tossers’ by the borough council which is taking a tough crackdown on litter.
  • Also in this week's paper: The latest cases from Basingstoke Magistrates' Court
  • Two pages of your letters to the editor.
  • Two pages of news from our communities.
  • An eight-page puzzle special.
  • Two pages of the best photos from our camera club this summer.
  • Two pages of business news.
  • Three pages of entertainment news.
  • Four pages of sports news.
  • And much more!

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