Man left critically injured by thugs

A 30 YEAR-OLD man is in a critical condition after he was assaulted in Oldham town centre.

He was found at the junction of St Mary’s Way and Yorkshire Street at 3.30am on Friday and taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital before being transferred to Hope Hospital for specialist treatment for severe head injuries.

Witnesses described three white men police want to trace in connection with this incident.

One of them was very distinctive looking. He was 6ft 4in tall, of stocky build and with a tooth missing at the front.

Det Insp, Dave Massey from Oldham CID, said: “It is highly likely this man and his cohorts caught a taxi from Oldham town centre to the north Manchester area at about 4 or 4.30am on Friday.

“This was a seriously vicious assault, and this man is in a really bad way. We need to find the people who did this.

“I am appealing particularly to Oldham taxi-drivers who were on shift at the time to think back and consider whether they took this man’s fare. If you recognise his description please contact us straight away.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Oldham CID on 0161-856 8951 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800-555 111.