Appeal for witnesses following serious assault in Southampton

Police are appealing for witnesses, or anyone with information, after a man was seriously assaulted and robbed in a ground floor stairwell of Norman House, Kent Street on Monday 11 October.

The incident occurred at around 5.30pm.

The victim, a 26-year-old man from Southampton, was reportedly assaulted by three men and struck with a hammer several times in the head; resulting in him requiring hospital treatment.

A number of items, including house keys, were also stolen from the victim during the attack.

The three men have been described as;

• A white man in his late 20s or late 30s, approximately 5ft 11ins tall, bald with a grey goatee style beard and of large build. He was seen wearing a black coat, black shorts and may have been carrying a black rucksack.

• A black man in his late 20s or late 30s, approximately 6ft tall, corn-row styled hair and was of slim build. He was wearing a black and red jumper with blue jeans. He had a distinctive gold or silver tooth.

• A black man in his late 20s or late 30s, approximately 5ft 10ins tall, short receding hair with a thin dark beard and of medium build. He was seen wearing a grey Adidas jumper and blue jeans.

Detective Constable Daryanne Ryan said: “This was a serious assault that occurred during daylight hours in the stairwell of a block of flats, which is occupied by a number of residents.

“We are carrying out a number of enquiries today to establish the exact circumstances of this incident and identify who was involved.

“We would urge anyone who witnessed this incident or who has information about the assault or the men who were involved, to please contact us. Likewise, if anyone has private CCTV available which may have captured the incident or the events leading up to the assault, we would be really keen to hear from you as it may aid our investigation.”

Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting reference number 44210408916.

As part of police enquiries, officers have arrested a 61-year-old man from Southampton on suspicion of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent. He remains in custody at this time.