Wheelchair-bound Aberglasslyn woman Vicki Shaw had left Aldi's Rutherford store on Sunday afternoon, when she was set upon by a group of youths who verbally abused her and pelted her with eggs.

They swore at her, called her a whale and a fat cow. They began to moo at her, taunting her about being fat, lazy and to "get out of your chair and walk."

Then, in the cruellest of acts, the six males threw eggs at her.

The youths were at Rutherford Skate Park adjacent to the Aldi store. What shocked Vicki the most was their age.

"There were two older ones and about four younger ones," she said. "The older ones were about 15 - the others about 12, maybe 13," she said.

"I'm not hurt, just a little shaken," she said.

"These kids have been causing trouble for a while now. They have yelled obscenities at me before but this was the first time they've attacked me with eggs."

A former registered nurse, Vicki suffered a spinal cord injury which has left her unable to walk and confined to a wheelchair.

She has full-time carers and needs help with every day living. Her one form of independence is her trip to the shop in her motorised chair.

"They started calling out horrible things like fat pig, piggy in the middle, get up and walk fat piggy. Yes I am a big person. I've put on a lot of weight since I have been in the wheelchair but they think I'm in the chair because of my weight - believe me I would love nothing more than to be able to get up and walk," Vicki said.

Ironically Police were in the vicinity shortly after the incident and Vicki flagged them down. Officers took the remaining eggs but said there was little more they could do without witnesses and names. Officers did however attend Vicki's place on Monday and took her statement. They will also look at CCTV footage.

Vicki said the youths need to be held accountable. "They are old enough to know that what they did was wrong," she said. "But how far do you go? Close the skate park? That would be sad because there are kids who deserve to have somewhere to play.

"These youths are holding the community to ransom. I know deep down they are cowards. I'm just more angry and humiliated than anything else - which is probably what they wanted.

"I rely on carers to get me up of a morning and everything else but the one thing I can do on my own is take myself to the shops and that's usually a good experience because the people there are wonderful," she said.

Vicki shared what happened on West Maitland Community Awareness Facebook page. Comments were turned off however administrators offered sympathy and support.

Vicki's daughter Olivia said her mother cared for people as a nurse for 25 years. "Work was her life. She's been my hero and for something like this to happen to such a beautiful, caring person is devastating - I'm falling apart just thinking about it," she said.