FACEBOOK POST ENDS IN HORROR ATTACK
VIGILANTES STRIKE AFTER FILM OF MEN IN PARK SHARED ON SOCIAL MEDIA
TWO men attacked in Moldgreen had been filmed in a nearby park and wrongly accused of ‘acting suspiciously’ on Facebook, police have said.
A video shared online by people in Huddersfield at the weekend showed the men in Ravensknowle Park, warning others to be vigilant.
The same men, aged 29 and 50, were later injured after three men entered their flat on Elmfield Terrace on Sunday evening and attacked them with baseball bats and a knife.
One of the victims suffered a laceration to his head and fracture to his right hand in the attack. The other needed stitches to an injury to his hand.
Detectives say the two incidents are linked and looked into the original accusations against the victims, finding they had not committed any offences.
The Facebook post has since been taken down, and a 35-year-old man from Huddersfield arrested in connection with the incident has been released pending further investigation.
Det Insp Mark Catney, of Kirklees CID, said: “I would like to reassure the public that as soon as the social media footage came to light we conducted a thorough investigation.
“Following on from this it has been concluded that no crimes have been committed by these two individuals.
“I would encourage anyone who has any concerns about anyone in the community to come forward and speak to the police directly. The social media video generated a knee-jerk reaction from some members of the public which resulted in an assault.
“We are still keen to hear from anyone who has any information about the incident in Moldgreen to come forward with any investigation to assist with our enquiries.
“Anyone with any information is asked to contact the police via 101 quoting crime reference number 13170442367 or alternatively information can be passed to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”