Victim's leg broken in vicious robbery

A 21-year old man was kicked so hard during a robbery that his leg was broken.

The victim was knocked unconscious after being seriously assaulted when he was robbed on Milkstone Road last week.

The victim had been on a night out in the town centre and was walking along Milkstone Road with his mobile phone in his hand at about 9pm on Monday 26 January.

Three men walked towards him and one of them asked to borrow his phone. The 21-year old refused and one of the offenders kicked him in the leg with such force that it broke.

The three offenders continued to assault the victim, during which he stumbled onto Drake Street and then Church Stile.

The victim eventually passed out as a result of the assault and the offenders stole cash from his pockets and ran off.

An unknown man went with the victim in the ambulance to hospital and police are keen to speak to him.

The victim suffered a broken leg, a serious injury to his ear, a broken tooth and swelling to his face as a result of the assault.

Detective Constable Tim O'Callaghan from Rochdale CID said: "This was an extremely vicious assault and the victim was in hospital for two days as a result of his injuries.

"I am extremely keen to speak to the man who went to hospital with the victim - you could be a vital witness and I urge you to contact police so we can see if you have any information that may assist my investigation.

"These men are clearly animals and need to be caught."

The offenders were all white men. One of them was aged about 25 years old, about 5ft 7in tall of stocky build with a skin head. The second offender was aged 18 to 25 years old, 5ft 7in tall of medium build and was wearing a bobble hat.

Anyone with information is asked to call Rochdale CID on 0161 856 8632 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.