Do you recognise this man?

Detectives want to speak to him after an elderly woman was assaulted following an altercation between two groups in Ormskirk at the weekend.

It happened between 10:50pm and 11pm on Saturday on the Wheatsheaf car park when two groups of men have been arguing and throwing bricks at each other.

The victim, a 71-year-old street pastor, had intervened to calm the situation when she was punched to the face, causing her to fall to the floor and lose consciousness.

A 50-year-old man was also hit by a black Audi during the melee; the driver made off from the area.

DC Michael Feeley from West Lancashire CID said: “It is utterly disgusting to think that an elderly woman, just acting as a pacifist, was punched so hard she landed on the pavement and was knocked unconscious.

“We are investigating the full circumstances around the altercation between the groups, the woman being attacked and the man being hit by the car.

“If you recognise the man pictured or you have any information that could assist without inquiries, please make contact with us.”

You can call 01695 566166 or if you fail to get an answer, 101, quoting incident reference 1669 of June 16th. Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

And QLocal's happ[y to post this statement correcting some of the more lurid reporting in the local papers:

'Statement on behalf of Ormskirk Street Pastors.

One of our female Street Pastors was assaulted and knocked unconscious on Saturday 16 June 2018 as she was serving the community with other team members. She was discharged from Southport Hospital at 10am on Sunday morning and is recovering at home.

She was not breaking up a fight, as incorrectly reported in a number of newspaper articles, but was simply walking through a public thoroughfare when she suffered an unprovoked attack.

This is the first such incident that Ormskirk Street Pastors has encountered since we started our patrols in January 2011.

We will continue to ‘Listen, Care and Help’ people on the streets of Ormskirk every weekend

The police are investigating the matter; please contact them if you have any information in connection with this attack.

Dave Mutch,
Co-ordinator, Ormskirk Street Pastors.'