The wife of a postmaster described how her family's life had been "changed forever" after her husband was savagely attacked during a raid on their shop.

Rosalind Davies, aged 52, spoke as her husband Alun's attackers were convicted of a string of burglaries after trial at Worcester Crown Court - almost a year to the day after the devastating event.

The couple moved to idyllic Hanley Swan three years ago because they wanted to bring up their two daughters Amelia, now 15 and Rebecca, aged 13, in a safe and friendly place.

But at 4.30am on August 10 last year two raiders brandishing a crowbar broke into the shop and struck Mr Davies, who was working on his office computer.

Still conscious but confused, Mr Davies crawled back to the family home adjoining the shop to try to safeguard his family.

"I woke up because I heard him coughing and he didn't sound normal," said Mrs Davies. "I found him kneeling on the floor trying to lock all the doors upstairs. They were already locked, but the police said he had gone into some sort of security mode to try and protect us.

"When he turned to me he had a very swollen eye and a severe bump on the side of his head. I thought he had had a terrible accident in the shop. It didn't occur to me that he had been attacked because it was such a rural place and we always thought how lucky we were to be there."

Later that day when the severity of his injuries became apparent he was taken to Worcester Royal Infirmary, then to Walsgrave Hospital for emergency brain surgery. He was in a coma for a week.

Police arrested Malcolm Hitchings and Thomas Lloyd, both 20, over the course of the next couple of days. They tracked them down via the two burned out cars they left behind them and the discarded jemmy.

The violent pair had been engaged in an 18-day spree of burglaries, travelling almost daily from South Wales to rural dwellings and post offices in Worcestershire.

On Wednesday, following a seven-day trial, they were convicted of a string of offences including conspiracy to commit burglary and arson, the burglary at Hanley Swan and perverting the course of justice.

"They were forensically aware and most of the evidence was circumstantial - that was a challenge to us," said Chief Inspector Graham Smith, who led the inquiry."

The two, who were already serving prisoner terms for similar convictions when they were found guilty, are yet to be sentenced.

The effects of their crimes on the Davies family have been profound.

In an attempt to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, Mr and Mrs Davies have gone back to work at their village post office.

"One of the hardest things was going back to open the shop two days after," said Mrs Davies.

"I wanted to be in Coventry with Alun. But we decided we would do this together and if we finished it we would decide that together too. If I didn't do it I would never have been able to do it, but it was very strange."

Although Mr Davies, aged 54, is recuperating he still suffers memory problems - he has no recollection of the day it happened - and the attack has left him with lasting psychological damage.

"People coming in the shop he doesn't recognise is a great fear for him," said Rosalind.

"It changed his personality completely. We've been married for 30 years next year and he is not the Alun he was before the event.

"He was almost the most patient man, more so than me. Now he is very quick to anger and it's not him, and he doesn't like being like that.

"We are thankful to have Alun back, we just hope he will get back to the Alun he used to be."