Brutal gang attacked wrong woman aged 76 Published on Saturday 24 March 2012 01:42 AN ELDERLY woman who was subjected to an "excessive and horrific attack" in her own home was not the intended victim, police said. Four men burst into the home of Mary Coulter in Overtown, Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, at 5:20am on Thursday and carried out the "violent and sustained" assault. Mrs Coulter, 76, is the mother and grandmother of two men, Ronnie and Andrew Coulter, who were cleared of killing waiter Surjit Singh Chhokar in 1998. Police said they do not believe there is any link between the unsolved murder and the attack. Mrs Coulter was left with two broken arms, serious head injuries and lacerations to her face. She remains in hospital in Glasgow. The men attacked her in her hallway, in Overdale Place, before pursuing her on to the street, but they ran off when her screams alerted neighbours. Officers are looking at the possibility that the gang targeted the wrong address. Detective Chief Inspector Pat Campbell said Mrs Coulter was "very much lucky to be alive" after the unprovoked attack. He said: "We are keeping an open mind regarding the motive but what we do know is that she was not the intended victim of this attack. It's been a sustained horrific attack on her. It appears to be a focused, targeted attack on the address, or address nearby, and one of the things we are looking at is if the address is correct or is it an address within that locality, but it would appear she was not the intended victim. He said officers were keeping all options open and have been unable to interview the victim. He added: "What we are doing, as in any police investigation, is looking at the background of the victim and that also takes us back into her family, but there is nothing at this time to suggest that the motive is to get to the family in respect of this attack." Mr Chhokar was stabbed to death outside the home he shared with his girlfriend in Overtown in 1998. In January, Strathclyde Police were instructed to reopen the investigation into the murder. Mr Campbell said: "There is nothing at all to establish at this stage that there is any link back to the Surjit Singh Chhokar homicide reinvestigation." Police said it is not known who Mrs Coulter's attackers were looking for, and added that the break-in was not a robbery. The suspects, who used a bladed weapon and a stick or bat during the attack, are described as white men. They were either wearing hooded tops or had their faces hidden with scarves. One was described as particularly heavily built. All were wearing light-coloured trainers. Mr Campbell said: "She's badly injured and receiving treatment in hospital. Due to the extent of her head injuries she has been sedated and we have been unable to interview her.