Gang attacks man with his own tennis racket

Police have released e-fit images of two men they want to speak to following an assault in Salford which left the victim unable to hear out of one ear.

The victim – a man aged in his 30s – had been playing tennis when he was attacked by a group of approximately 10 people at the tennis courts in Boothsbank Park, Boothbank Avenue, at around 7pm on Wednesday 12 August last year.

The offenders pushed the man over before punching and kicking him and striking him a number of times with his own tennis racket.

Emergency services attended and the man was taken to hospital with injuries to his head, shoulders and arms which required hospital treatment. He now suffers from permanent hearing loss in one ear.

Officers are now able to release E-fit images of two men they would like to speak to.

One offender is described as being white and of a slim build with short brown hair and pocked-marked skin on his face. He is aged in his late teens and is around 5ft 8 or 9ins tall. At the time of the assault he was shirtless and wearing tracksuit bottoms.

A second offender is described as being white and of a stocky build with dark brown hair that is long and cut into a shaggy haircut. He is aged in his late teens and is around 5ft 7 or 8ins tall.

The other eight offenders are described as being white and aged in their late teens. They are all male and at the time of the assault, the majority of them were wearing black t-shirts with shorts or tracksuit bottoms.

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Jones, from GMP’s Salford district, said: “This was a brutal assault which has sadly resulted in a man suffering from permanent hearing loss.

“Our dedicated team of detectives have been tirelessly investigating a number of lines of enquiry which has now led to us being able to release E-fit images of two men, who we are asking for the public to help us identify, so that we can speak to them in connection with this assault.”

“If anyone has any information at all about the identity of these two men, or any of the men involved in this assault, please speak to police. Even the smallest piece of information could help us to complete our investigation and find justice for the victim.”

Anyone with any information about this assault should contact police on 0161 856 2079 quoting incident number 2575 of 12/08/2020.

Information can be passed on anonymously by calling the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.