Man sustains fractured jaw after savage assault in front of his son

A man was dragged out of a post office and savagely assaulted in front of his four-year-old son.

It happened outside the Newbold Post Office on Milnrow Road, Rochdale, between 10.30am and 11am on 8 September 2012.

The man, 24, his partner and their four-year-old son were walking towards the post office when they saw the offender ahead of them.

The offender mistakenly thought the victim and his family were laughing at him, so followed him into the post office and pulled the hood over his head. He then dragged him out of the shop, punched him repeatedly in the head and threw him to the ground.

As he lay defenceless, the offender also kicked him in the face before fleeing towards James Butterworth Street.

The victim sustained a fractured jaw that required surgery, with four metal plates fitted and his teeth wired together.

Police are now appealing to anyone with information to come forward.

The offender was said to be white, about 5ft 9in tall, of a medium build and in his mid-20s to early 30s. He had cropped black hair and was said to have a large dimple on his chin. He was wearing dark tracksuit bottoms with blue stripes and a bright white T-shirt.

Detective Constable Laura Crossley said: "This was a totally senseless attack by the offender, provoked purely by the mistaken belief he was being laughed at. This man displayed a savage level of violence and a result, the victim needed metal plates and surgery to fix his injuries.

"It is the sort of unnecessary assault that I'm sure will shock people and I hope people use that sense of anger to try and help us find the offender.

"I would appeal to anyone who thinks they saw this man hanging around the post office area at the time of the attack, or perhaps recognises him from the above description, to come forward."

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.