Scarred thief nabs student work weeks before exams

A STUDENT has been robbed of all her coursework just weeks before her exams – after her bags were snatched by a badly-scarred thief.

Kate Kennedy, 21, was about to board a bus at St Andrew Square station on Tuesday when a “shifty” pair, including a woman with a “large, diagonal scar down her forehead”, grabbed her belongings.

The robbers snatched the Edinburgh University student’s two bags just after 5pm while she looked at a timetable. Today Kate, who studies psychology, appealed to the thieves to return her notes, which were stored on her laptop in one bag and on a memory stick in the second bag.

The third-year student, who comes from Perthshire and was making her way home for the Easter holiday, said: “I was pretty much next to my bags the whole time, but it was busy at the station.

“While I was waiting for the bus, two pretty rough-looking people came to sit beside me. The guy was looking at me oddly, but I didn’t think anything of it. The woman came over to me and started talking, asking when the bus was.

“At one point I went over to look at the timetable, which was about ten metres away. I was studying it for about two minutes, but when I looked back my two bags were gone.

“They left only a plastic bag with crisps in it that I’d got from Poundland. They stole a brown woven backpack and a Roxy shoulder bag, which had my laptop in it.

“The main thing is my laptop. It had all of my notes on it for my course. There are no back-ups because my memory stick that has back-ups was in the bag.

“I have exams at the end of the month and I’m not sure what to do. Right now I’m desperately trying to print off the course slides, borrowing notes and blitzing the textbooks.”

Other items taken include a distinctive maroon University of Edinburgh hoodie with a psychology badge on the right-hand side and a red purse.

Ms Kennedy said: “They looked really shifty. Some guys at the station wearing high vis jackets were really helpful and they checked the CCTV for me. They said they saw them running away. After they left with the bags, one ran one way and one ran the other. It was obviously planned.

“The guy was of a normal build and he had really short hair. The woman was really distinctive as she had a big diagonal scar down her forehead.

“I’d really like the notes back and I’d offer a £20 reward to anyone who can help me.”

A Lothian and Borders Police spokesman said any witnesses should contact them.