THIS is the face of a pensioner who was savagely beaten in an unprovoked attack in Stratford.
It happened around 10.15pm on Friday as the man was walking with his wife and dog along Summerton Way near Stratford College.
The couple were approached by two unknown men – one of whom is then thought to have attacked the man in his 70s – leaving him with serious facial injuries. His wife was not hurt in the incident, but was left shaken by the ordeal.
The attacker – described as slim, around 20 years old, and 6ft tall – was wearing casual sports clothing at the time.
Both men are believed to have quickly fled the alleyway in the direction of the Evesham Road roundabout following the attack.
And officers have now released an image of the victim in the hope members of the community and witnesses can come forward with further information to help identify the attackers.
Detective Inspector Sharp of Warwickshire Police was quick to underline the seriousness of the attack but stressed it was understood to have been a one-off attack.
He said: “First and foremost I want to reassure people that incidents of this nature are, thankfully, extremely rare and a robust investigation has been launched.
“Although this is understandably concerning, it is currently believed to be an isolated incident and there is not thought to be any threat to the wider community.
“We are appealing to the Stratford community to help identify this unknown man following an unprovoked attack on a member of the public.
“With the request of the victim, we have released an image of his injuries in the hope that anyone who may have any information following this mindless assault, will come forward to identify the attacker and ensure they are brought to justice.
“We are conducting a full and thorough investigation and want to reassure the community there will be increased police patrols in the area following the incident.”
Anyone with information about the assault should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
