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A gang barged their way into a woman's house and left her with brutal injuries as they dragged her by her hair, kicking and punching her until she opened the family safe.

Sophie Wakefield, 21, was home alone when she opened the door to a man pretending to be delivering a parcel at 6.30am yesterday morning.

But she was suddenly ambushed by five other men who knocked her to the ground - and one covered his face with a leopard print scarf and order she "look away".

Terrified Sophie was then subject to a horrendous attack as the men repeatedly shouted: "where is it?" while punching her in the face and kicking her ribs.

They then held the family dog, Shortie, up to his ear and threatened to kill him.

(Image: GloucestershireLive/ WS)

She led them to the safe but got the combination wrong seven times, prompting one of the men to threaten to hit her harder.

When she eventually opened it, the men were “cheering like in a football match” and reportedly said: "we're going to make a lot from this."

Sophie has been left battered and blue after the attack, left suffering tremors and is "terrified", unable to sleep.

Her family had left to go on holiday to Gran Canaria that morning and her younger sister, Kirsty, 19, was staying with her boyfriend.

Too shaken up to speak about her ordeal, family friend Emma Austen spoke to Gloucstershire Live.

She said: “It was just awful. She was dazed and she had knuckle marks on her head.

(Image: GloucestershireLive/ WS)

“Sophie was sat under her dad’s desk, curling up in a ball. She was thinking, ‘Am I dreaming?"

The gang then took items and cash of a "very large value" before dragging Ms Wakefield to the house's wooden banisters.

“They put her arms over the banisters and one of the men went to get black duct tape,” Mrs Austin said.

“Another man said, ‘No time.’ He left her in the toilet and said, ‘Don’t you move or I will hurt you.’

(Image: GloucestershireLive/ WS)

“She was in there for a minute, poked her head out and the door was open, so she ran out.”

The gang had already sped off in an Audi, but a man called Aidan, who riding his bike to work, stopped to help Ms Wakefield.

He called police and an ambulance, which rushed her to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

“Originally they thought she had a broken jaw and ribs, but it was just substantial bruising,” Mrs Austin said.

After Ms Wakefield was discharged from hospital that morning, she spent the day with her sister and Mrs Austin, giving a statement to police.

“When I first had the message from Kirsty I was in absolute shock,” Mrs Austin said.

“She looked really fragile when I first saw her. I burst into tears, grabbed her and gave her a great big hug.

“She is such a tiny girl. She is seven stone and only 5′ 4.

“You don’t expect this to happen to you. It is like a horror story. I know this is going to scare her for a long time.”

(Image: GloucestershireLive/ WS)

She added that Ms Wakefield’s parents have been trying to get flights home, but not been able to yet.

“They can’t deal with it too well, being in Gran Canaria,” Mrs Austin said. “They have been ringing me in bits.”

Her parents have now offered a £5,000 reward for anyone with information.

The men responsible appeared to be Asian and aged between 23 and 27.

They spoke both in English and their own language, which Ms Wakefield was unable to identify.

She described the man who knocked on the door as quite large, with dark hair.

Mrs Austin suggested the house may have been targeted because of boards outside advertising family businesses.

Mr Wakefield runs Cheltenham Gas Services and Kirsty has a dog grooming parlour Gorgeous Grooms, based in the back garden of the home.

The victim is now staying with family in Devon for a few days, because she is too scared to stay in Cheltenham.

In her Facebook statement, she hit out at people who had posted comments questioning whether the incident had really happened.

Anyone with information should call Gloucestershire Constabulary on 101 or email 101@gloucestershire.police.uk quoting incident 54 of 3 November 2017.

Alternatively you can report anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.