Airgun sniper shoots girl, two, in head as family walk on Bradford street

Noorsadia Akhter was left with a pellet embedded in her forehead when the gunman fired at her in her pushchair.

Her family told how she was saved by her thick hair, which took the force of the pellet before it struck her face.

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Noorsadia was rushed to hospital but is now recovering at her Bradford home.

Cradling the youngster, her mother, Noor Nahar, 26, said: "I am afraid it will happen to other children. If we don't catch whoever did this, they will do it again and again."

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Mrs Nahar was walking from the family's home in Cockroft Grove, Barkerend, to pick up her seven-year-old daughter, Noor Ankis, from school when the incident happened, at 1pm on Wednesday.

She said: "My 12-month-old son, Zunaed Abdullah, was in the pushchair and Noorsadia was sat on the top of it, facing me.

"I had not gone very far and was near some trees when I heard a loud bang, like a gun. It seemed to come from an abandoned building about 50 yards away and I turned to look.

"When I turned back to the children, Noorsadia was bleeding badly. There was blood all over her face and it was dripping on to her clothing. She was screaming and crying.

"I got some tissues and pressed them to her forehead to stop the bleeding. Then she stopped crying and went faint. I thought she was going to die. I could see there was something like a bullet in her head. I was panicking. I was screaming and crying and running with the pushchair, but no-one was there."

Mrs Nahar borrowed a mobile phone from a passer by to alert her husband, Abdu Sahukkur, and took her daughter to a nearby doctor's surgery. A receptionist alerted the emergency services and Noorsadia was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary, where she was given emergency treatment and the pellet was removed. She was allowed home six hours later.

Her mother said the little girl had been saved by her hair, which had cushioned the pellet and prevented it going deeper into her skull.

The family came to Bradford six years ago after fleeing persecution, as Rohingya Muslims, in their native Burma.

Mrs Nahar's brother, Nijam Mohammed, who is president of the Rohingya Survival Foundation UK, said they had been happy in Bradford but his sister was now scared when she took her eldest daughter to school, and the children were frightened to go outside.

The pellet that was removed from Noorsadia's head

He said: "My sister does not know who did this and she is worried it will happen again. She is very upset and asks anyone who knows who is responsible to contact the police."

Sergeant Graham Dyson, of the Bradford East Area Neighbourhood Team, said: "We believe the pellet was fired from a derelict building to the rear of Cockroft Grove.

"I would like to stress very strongly that these types of weapons are not toys and can cause serious injuries.

"People should also be aware that using an airgun in a public place is illegal, and anyone found to be doing so will be arrested and possibly taken to court.

"Anyone with information about those who might be responsible for this incident, or who saw any suspicious activity in the area at the time, are asked to contact the Bradford East Area Neighbourhood PolicingTeam on 101, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111."