Public assistance sought after unprovoked attack

The victim required hospital treatment for his injury and has since been discharged

Police are appealing for more information after an assault in Rochdale.

At around 8am on Thursday 5 December 2019, police were called to Mellor Street, Rochdale to a report of an assault on a 43-year-old man.

The offender asked the victim for the time before attacking him with a sharp instrument, causing a laceration to the man’s stomach.

The victim required hospital treatment for his injury and has since been discharged.

The offender was described as a white man, around 5ft 9inches tall , aged in his early 20s, dressed in a black hoody with the hood up.

Detective Sergeant Tim O’Callaghan, of GMP’s Rochdale district, said: “This was unprovoked attack which has left a member of the public fearing for his safety.

“I would like to reassure the public that we are taking this incident very seriously and I am particularly keen to speak to anyone that was on or around Mellor Street at the time of the attack – did you hear or see anything unusual or suspicious that could assist us?.”

Anybody with information should contact police on 0161 856 8437, quoting incident number 562 of 05/12/2019, or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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