A reward of up to £3,000 is being offered after a young Southend man was brutally attacked in front of his girlfriend on his way home after new year’s celebrations. [23 May 2011]

The reward is being offered by the Crimestoppers for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for this unprovoked attack in January this year.

Crimestoppers, which allows people to give information 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111, has stepped in with the reward to help catch the attacker. Callers cannot be identified and will not have to go to court.

Attacked was on a bike

After leaving Bar Vic on Victoria Road in Southend the victim and his girlfriend walked along West Road. At around 2.50am, on 1st January 2011, the male suspect overtook them on his bike. He then got off the bike, believed to be a mountain bike, throwing it to the floor, and proceeded to attack the victim. He floored him with a single punch before kicking him in the face. He then crouched over the victim, punching him several times to the right side of the face, inflicting severe injuries to the victim's eye. The eyeball was punctured, the retina detached and the lens destroyed meaning the victim has been blinded in this eye. The suspect then cycled off.

E-Fit of attacker

The suspect is described as “in his mid 20s, clean shaven, 6ft tall and bigger than average build with short black hair, thick eyebrows, round face and light brown skin”. An e-fit of the attacker has been released. See the e-fit on our Most Wanted website.

Life changing injuries

Ann Scott, Eastern Regional Manager for Crimestoppers said: “This unprovoked attack has resulted in some life changing injuries for a young man out enjoying life with his girlfriend. This sort of violent crime in Southend is extremely rare, making this incident all the more shocking. Please come forward to the independent charity Crimestoppers so this awful crime can be solved. Has someone confessed to being involved? Perhaps someone witnessed the event or saw suspicious activity in the area? Crimestoppers wants to receive any information no matter how insignificant it may seem.

"We do not ask for your name and no call is traced or recorded. You won’t have to give a statement, speak to the Police or go to court – we only want to know what you know, not who you are. In the 22 years that Crimestoppers has been running we have never broken our anonymity promise."

Information can also be given anonymously through our anonymous online information giving form but the reward cannot be claimed for information given online and only information given to Crimestoppers that leads to a conviction is eligible for the reward.