Good Samaritans stopped “potentially fatal” attack on man by young thugs in Leeds ginnel

The victim, from Huddersfield, was walking down a ginnel in Holbeck when he was set upon by the gang, who are thought to have battered him with a metal bar or wooden pole.

They kicked and punched him the head as he lay on the ground.

The man’s arm was broken in two places in the incident, but police say he could have suffered a far worse fate if two passers-by hadn’t stopped to help.

Det Con Rachael Gilsenan, of Leeds CID, said: “This was a vicious assault that resulted in serious injuries.

“The nature of the victim’s broken arm suggests the suspects may have used some form of wooden or metal bar and had it not been for the involvement of the good Samaritans this incident could have had fatal consequences.”

The incident happened at about 4.30pm last Tuesday, March 10, when the man was walking down a ginnel connecting Marshall Street and Bath Road in Holbeck.

The youths were walking the other way, but after they passed him he turned around and was punched in the face and knocked to the ground.

Det Con Gilsenan said: “He continued to be assaulted. The assault only came to an end when two unknown good samaritans chased off the suspects. These two people left the scene prior to the arrival of police and we are very keen to speak to them as they could hold vital information as witnesses and I would ask them to come forward.”

CCTV images of the suspected attackers has been released by police.

The detective said: “It’s vitally important to identify the people in the CCTV footage and I would ask anyone recognising them to contact police. I would also advise anyone from the group to contact police and provide us with their version of events.”

Call Det Con Rachael Gilsenan via 101 quoting crime reference number: 13150097579.