Man in critical condition following assault in Rochdale town centre

Cask and Feather

A man is in a critical condition following an assault in Rochdale town centre at 7.50am on Sunday 1 December.

Two men, aged 18 and 20, who had been assaulted, were taken to hospital for treatment but both men discharged themselves soon after. However, a short time later, the 18-year-old started to feel unwell and was re-admitted. He is now in a critical condition.

Police believe an incident took place outside the Cask and Feather Public House and two men, aged 23 and 33, have been arrested on suspicion of section 18 wounding. They remain in police custody for questioning.

Rochdale North Police Inspector Umer Khan said: “Since police were called to the two injured men’s aid this morning, we have been carrying out a significant number of enquiries and have arrested two men in connection with this incident. They are now being spoken to by detectives.

“The 18-year-old is continuing to receive hospital treatment and we are appealing for any witnesses that saw what happened to get in touch and tell us what they know, so we can establish what has led to this young man lying in a hospital bed with a serious head injury.

“People are likely to be worried when they hear of this news but I would like to try and offer some reassurance that we do not believe this was a random attack. We will aim to keep the community updated with further details where we can as the investigation progresses.”

Police enquiries are ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at Rochdale Police Station on 0161 856 9961 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.