Appeal for witnesses after assault of woman in St Helens

Detectives in St Helens are appealing for witnesses to an assault earlier this month which left a woman with a broken jaw.

At around 10.20pm on Tuesday 9 July, a woman in her 30s was walking a footpath on Union Street to the rear of Lord Street, heading towards College Street, when she was approached by a man who engaged her in conversation.

A second man then approached her aggressively, verbally abused her and punched her repeatedly to the face, resulting in a fractured jaw which required an operation.

The suspect is described as white, 5ft 3in tall, of slim build, with short blonde hair and spoke in a local accent, wearing a black tracksuit.

CCTV and witness enquiries have so far proved negative and detectives want to speak to people in the area who are believed to have witnessed the assault and not yet come forward.

Detective Inspector Jackie Guinness said: “We don't believe that this was a random attack but are trying to establish exactly why it happened. The victim sustained a serious injury which required an operation, as well as suffering the distress and fear that such violence inevitably causes.

“Our initial enquiries have suggested that some people in the street saw this attack and have not come forward to police with their accounts or any information. If you were in the area at this time, please reconsider and let us know what you saw, either directly or anonymously via Crimestoppers.

“Nobody wants to live in a community where violence is tolerated or ignored, so don’t turn a blind eye, tell us what you know and we will take the necessary action.”

Anyone with information can contact @MerPolCC, call 101 with reference 19100371640 or @CrimestoppersUK anonymously, on 0800 555 111. You can also use their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.