Beaten brothers slam police

Assault victims John (left) and Shaun Lowther

TWO brothers have accused police of dragging their feet in investigating an assault which left one with a broken jaw and the other needing 18 stitches.

John (25) and Shaun Lowther (23) say they were the victims of an unprovoked attack in Aruba bar, Fairbottom Street, Oldham.

John said: “My brother went to the bar to get a drink and someone punched him in the face several times and stood on his head when he fell down.

“I went over to help him but I slipped and fell, and someone kicked some of my teeth out and bust my lip.

“We don’t know who they were and we hadn’t done anything to deserve it, it was unprovoked.”

The pair were thrown out by bouncers, and a friend called for a taxi to take them to the Royal Oldham Hospital.

John, whose injuries were stitched, said: “Shaun was unconscious for about 15 minutes.”

He was transferred to North Manchester General Hospital where surgeons pinned his broken jaw in an operation which took almost four hours.

Shaun spent two days in hospital before returning home to Higher Lime Road, Limeside.

He and John made several calls to the police in the days following the attack, in the early hours of Sunday, February 8, and were told an officer would visit and take a statement.

Eventually their exasperated mother, Kim, who lives at the same address, called the police to find out why no one had been to see her sons, and was again told an officer would visit.

The family spoke of their anger at the long wait, and Kim said: “The longer it is before the police start to look for the people who did this to my sons, the less chance there is of them being found.

Det Insp Chris Bridge, of Oldham CID, said: “We received the report and it has been allocated to an officer.

“Given the victims’ concerns, I will be arranging for someone to speak to them immediately.

“This is a nasty assault, we are taking the report very seriously and it will be investigated fully.

“If anyone saw the assault or witnessed something that might help our investigation, we would urge them to come forward.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Oldham CID on 0161-856 8951 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 -55 111.