A young cashier was pistol-whipped and kicked during a brutal robbery at a forecourt in the London suburb of Croydon.

The attacker entered the Shell forecourt shop and ordered the cashier at gunpoint to hand over the contents of the safe.

When the cashier replied that he had no access to the safe, the robber struck him across the face with his firearm. As the victim fell to the floor, the robber kicked him in the head, leaving him in need of treatment at the nearby hospital.

Having failed to lay his hands on any money, the robber turned his attention to the till and snatched an undisclosed amount of cash and made his escape.