An Asian man in his 70s suffered a fractured eye socket in what police have called a “cowardly” racially motivated attack. The victim was struck in the face by one of two men who approached him near the traffic island in Coventry Street, Kidderminster, when he was returning from a prayer meeting.
After the assault, which happened at 7.45pm on Friday, October 30, the men walked off into Radford Avenue and were seen turning right into Gilbert Scott Way.
The victim was taken to Kidderminster Hospital and, though he was not detained, is now receiving ongoing treatment for the eye injury.
One of the two men sought by police, who were both white and described as in their early 20s, was about 6ft tall with dark hair and wearing a blue and red top with white sleeves. The other was shorter, had lighter hair and wore a pale blue T-shirt under a darker blue, hooded top which had white numbering on the front.
PC Saqib Mahmood said: “This was a cowardly, unprovoked attack on a frail pensioner who was in no position to defend himself.
“He was on his way back from prayers at a mosque and dressed in traditional white robes. We believe he was singled out for no other reason than his appearance and as such it was a racially motivated assault. Nothing was said beforehand and there was no attempt to rob him.
“Fortunately incidents of this nature are rare here but having said that even one is still too many and I would urge anyone who saw what happened or has any idea who might be responsible to get in touch with us.”
Witnesses or anyone with information should call PC Mahmood on 0300 333 3000, quoting incident reference 658-S-301009, or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.