The charity Crimestoppers is offering a reward for information about a man who was involved in a serious assault at a Manchester pub, which caused the victim to permanently lose sight in one eye.
It was just before 8pm on Sunday, 2 October last year when a fight broke out at the Piccadilly Tap pub in central Manchester, near to Manchester Piccadilly station. The fight was between rival football fans who had been watching a fixture earlier in the day.
A man who stepped in to break up the fight had a pint glass smashed in his face by one of the brawling men, which caused lacerations and life-changing injuries, including an eye injury.
CCTV images show the prime suspect whom police would like to speak to as part of their investigations into this assault.
The Mother of the victim, who wishes to stay anonymous, said: “Last year, our son’s life changed forever when a violent football fan smashed a pint glass into his face, scarring him and damaging his eyesight for life. He now has only 70% vision in his left eye.
“He was trying to break up a fight between two opposing fans when the attack happened. CCTV captured the entire incident. Our son has lost confidence and is struggling to make sense of what happened. If you know who was involved, please tell police directly or stay anonymous with Crimestoppers.
“The attacker could strike again at any time. Please help bring this man to justice. We are very grateful to Crimestoppers for doing this appeal.”
Gary Murray, North West Regional Manager at the charity Crimestoppers, said: “This was a senseless attack on somebody who was trying to keep the peace, which has led to an injury that will affect him for the rest of his life.
“Please help us to find this thug and if you think you know who is responsible for this serious attack or you recognise and can name the person in the CCTV images, please tell our charity 100% anonymously. Crimestoppers exists to give people a vital anonymous option if they prefer not to speak to the police or give any personal details. You can tell us what you know and we’ll pass it on for you.
“As a charity that’s independent of the police, we have always kept our promise of anonymity – we’ve supported millions of people who have trusted us with their crucial crime information since we began in the late 1980s.
“Please call our UK Contact Centre on freephone 0800 555 111, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or fill in our simple and secure anonymous online form on our website. Out of terrible consequences, you could be doing something incredibly positive.”
