DUBAI // One of three sisters attacked in a London hotel room by a thief armed with a hammer has undergone major surgery.
Ohoud Al Najjar, 34, suffered life-threatening head and facial injuries and lost her left eye in the attack at the Cumberland Hotel on April 6.
"She has come out of surgery but the results I'm told have not come out yet," said her father, Jaffar Al Najjar. "But I have faith in the doctors in London.
“I know that some of the best doctors were involved in the operation, and I am confident that Ohoud will wake up and speak to me again.”
Doctors have said Ohoud has 5 per cent brain function.
She and her sisters Khuloud, 36, and Fatima, 31, were attacked between 1am and 2am as three children slept in an adjoining room.
Property worth more than £1,000 (Dh6,200) was taken and withdrawals totalling £3,000 were made on one of the victims’ bank cards.
The other sisters also suffered skull fractures.
“I’m a strong believer in God and his powers,” Mr Al Najjar said. “I was told to accept that my daughter Ohoud is dead and that anyone who has lost that much blood cannot recover.
“I refused to believe that and was sure from the very beginning that she will recover against all odds.”
Three people have been charged in London in connection to the attack.
Philip Spence, 32, from Hounslow in west London, is charged with three counts of attempted murder and one of aggravated burglary.
Thomas Efremi, 56, from Islington in north London, is charged with handling stolen goods and fraud by false representation, while James Moss, 33, from Finsbury Park in north London, is charged with handling stolen goods.
Carly Baker, 31 who was charged with handling stolen goods, was released on bail. They will all next appear in court on July 3.
salnuwais@thenational.ae