A Polish teenager has been left ‘scared to leave her home’ after a terrifying late night racist attack just outside of Manchester city centre.
The 18-year-old woman was on her phone to friends as she walked back home from a shop on Blackfriars Road on the edge of Salford and Manchester in the early hours of Saturday morning when she heard a man shout racist remarks towards her as she crossed the road to New Street.
She then felt a pull on her bag and was pushed to the floor and beaten, giving the assailant a chance to take her bag and run off.
With all her possessions stolen, the brave teenager – without thinking of the dangers – ran after her attacker.
Having caught up with him, he shouted back at her, grabbed her shoulders and she tried to push him away.
The plucky teen asked him why he jumped her, but the man just shouted racist comments back and punched her in the face. She managed to get her bag back and he ran away down New Street.
The offender is described as Romanian by the victim because she recognised his accent and language. She said he was aged between 20 and 30, between 5ft 10in and 5ft 11in tall, with black medium length hair. He was wearing a black waist length coat , blue jeans and black shoes.
Police Constable Michelle Ingham from Salford division said: “This was a terrifying attack which lasted for around five or six minutes. It was totally unprovoked on a woman who was walking home from the shop talking to her friends.
“The woman is still in shock about what happened in the early hours of that morning and doesn’t know why she chased after him. She is now very scared to go outside as she is in fear that she may be hurt again.
“If you recognise the man from this description or have any information about this appalling incident, please contact the police as soon as possible.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0161 856 5260 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Image courtesy of Google Maps, with thanks
