Witnesses sought to brutal assault

Detectives investigating a brutal assault that left a man with a fractured jaw and broken nose have appealed for witnesses to come forward.

An investigation is ongoing into the attack which happened on Gartland Road in the Grindon area of Sunderland at the junction with Gilbert Road.

At about 11.25am on April 16, two men got out of a white Vauxhall Astra and assaulted a 40-yearold man on a grass verge by punching and kicking him repeatedly.

The pair then set a dog on their victim, described by a witness as a brown Staffordshire bull terrier.

The victim, who is believed to be known to the attackers, suffered a fractured jaw, eye socket and broken nose and was taken to hospital for treatment.

Shortly after the attack, the two offenders made off in the Astra.

Inquiries are ongoing into the circumstances surrounding the assault and the identities of those involved. Police are now asking anybody who witnessed the incident to come forward.

Detective Constable David Holcroft, of Northumbria Police, said: “This attack happened in broad daylight in a busy area. We believe there will be people who witnessed the incident and we are asking them to do the right thing and come forward.

“We are committed to ensuring those responsible are brought to justice for their crimes. There is no place for violence on our streets and we are using every tactic at our disposal in order to get to the bottom of what happened.

“If you know anything about the incident, or think you may know who was involved, please get in touch.” Anyone with information is asked to contact police via the “Tell Us Something’ page of our website or by calling 101 quoting log 260 160421. Alternatively contact Crimestoppers by ringing 0800 555 111.