At around 8:30 in the evening on the 4th of September, a man in Blackpool was randomly punched in the face because he took off his mask to speak to his elderly mother while they were travelling on a tram through the area. Police say that the victim is a pensioner in his 60s, and he was travelling with his elderly mother who is in her 90s.
The man said that he needed to remove his face mask in order for his mother to hear him because she is hard of hearing. However, there were other people on the tram at the time of the incident and one of them took issue with his lack of face mask.
The suspect first confronted the pensioner, who has not been named by police, and asked the man to put his mask back on. When the man did not immediately put his facemask back on, the suspect punched him in the face, and left him with a bruised eye.
PC Laura Alves, of Lancashire Police called the attack “shocking.”
“This was a shocking attack on a man who was simply trying to speak to his mother, who is hard of hearing. We urgently need to speak to the man in the CCTV still and I would ask that anyone who recognizes him to contact police. Similarly, I would appeal to the man directly to contact us if you see this appeal,” Alves said in a recent statement, according to Sky News.
The suspect was described as being about 5ft 6in tall and of large build. It is estimated that he is in his early 30s, and at the time of the attack, he was wearing all black with a grey face mask. The face mask will surely make it more difficult for authorities to identify him. The man is also said to have a shaved head and was wearing glasses at the time of the attack.
Police have gathered no additional clues in the case and are now appealing to the public for help.
Anyone with information can call police on 101, quoting log 0428 of 5th September 2020. Alternatively, call independent charity Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555111
