Witnesses needed after man assaulted

9 February 2011, 16:28 | Updated: 21 February 2011, 11:58

Bedfordshire Police are looking for witnesses after a man in his thirties was assaulted on Mill Street, Bedford, at around 1.20am in the early hours of Sunday morning, 6 February, 2011.

The victim was on his way home from a nightclub walking along Mill Street when he encountered a group of around eight people, including two women. One man from this group struck the victim, punching him twice in the face.

The victim fell to the ground and hit his head on the pavement. The group are believed to have then left the scene going towards the High Street.

The victim lost consciousness and was taken to hospital with swelling to his face and head, which caused his right eye to close, with some damage to his mouth, head and right arm. He was later taken to Addenbrookes Hospital for assessment and is recovering from his injuries which now do not appear to be life threatening or life changing.

His attacker is described as a white male in his twenties,  5’8” tall, slim build, with short brown hair and wearing a light coloured long sleeve shirt.

Detective Sergeant Jo Corbyn, investigating, said: “I would like to make it clear that the victim was not stabbed but did sustain serious injuries when he fell to the ground.

“We take these violent attacks very seriously and want people’s help in tracking down this attacker. The victim is not a seriously hurt as we first thought but this could have been much more severe. We want to catch this man before he critically injures someone.”

"If anyone saw the attacks, saw this man before the attack in one of the local pubs or clubs or saw him or this group leaving the Mill Street area after the attack we'd like to hear from them. They can call has any further information you can contact Bedfordshire Police on 01234 841212 or text to 07786 200011 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111."