Teen suffers “horrific” injuries to face after Sheffield attack

Jordan Eshelby had to jump into a river to escape his attackers and was in hospital with “an incredibly swollen face” by the time his father was able to find out where he was.

The teenager had been in Hillsborough Park with a group of friends but became separated when they all dispersed after being threatened by two men and a woman.

Police were called to Rivelin Terrace where Jordan had gone to a house asking for help with serious facial injuries and soaking wet after jumping into a river.

His father Dean contacted South Yorkshire Police after Jordan failed to return home on Sunday night and was later called to say his son was in hospital.

He said: “We were a bit worried when Jordan didn’t come home and his friend did so contacted police straight away to raise our concerns.

“It was heartbreaking to see him lying in a hospital bed, his injuries are horrific, his face is incredibly swollen and he has been having difficulty talking. It will take him a while to recover both mentally and physically.

“The people that did this to my son need to be caught before they do this to someone else.

“I would urge anyone who saw what happened, or who knows who is responsible, to call police immediately.”

Detectives are keen to hear from anyone who witnessed the assault, or who has information about the incident, which is believed to have happened in the Rivelin Valley area between 10pm and midnight on Sunday.

The three suspects are described as being aged in their early twenties. One of the men, and the woman, were white while the other was of Asian appearance. They were all scruffy in appearance.

Detective Constable Liz Kooper, from Snig Hill CID, said: “Jordan has sustained severe facial injuries in the attack and has quite clearly been the victim of a nasty assault.

“The ordeal has understandably left him feeling incredibly shaken and he has had difficulty trying to tell us what happened because of the nature of his injuries.”

“We have been carrying out extensive enquiries and trawling CCTV but are still trying to piece together what exactly happened to Jordan after he was split up from his friends.

“I would urge anyone with information to call us immediately. Did you see the attack? Do you know what happened? No matter how insignificant you think the information is, it could greatly assist our enquiries.”

Witnesses or anyone with information is asked to call South Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 1479, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.