Father hospitalised when trying to intervene in Oldham row

CCTV image released after father hospitalised when trying to intervene in Oldham row

A 58-year-old father was hospitalised when trying to intervene in a row outside an Oldham carpark.

The man was outside the George Tavern on George Street with his 44-year-old son-in-law when they saw a group of men encroaching onto private property near the exit to the Spindles carpark.

The younger man asked them to leave the land and the men walked over to him and started to remonstrate. At this point the victim tried to intervene but one of the group punched him in the face, knocking him to the floor. The group then ran off.

Suffering a fractured skull and a bleed on the brain, the victim has only just returned to work and still suffers from dizziness and headaches. Due to the nature of the assault and his injuries the victim has been unable to provide a description of the man who assaulted him, other than the fact the group of men were all Asian.

The incident happened at around 7.30pm on Sunday 22 October 2017 and officers have now recovered CCTV footage which shows the attack.

PC Ashley Hudson, based at Oldham, said: “This man has had several months off work and still has not fully recovered – all because he tried to support his son-in-law when he told them to get off this private land.

“The man’s family have been really distressed about what happened to him so I now ask people, how would you feel if this was your dad?

“That is why it is really important that people take a good look at the image, which unfortunately is not very good quality, we have released to help us catch the man who threw the punch.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.