Man seriously assaulted by gang of thugs after refusing to buy drugs from stranger during night out in Darwen

The victim – a man in his 30s – was enjoying a night out in Church Street when he was approached by a stranger who offered to sell him drugs.

When the victim declined, the man became aggressive and threatened him with a knife.

A short time later the victim was approached again by the same man, but this time he was accompanied by several other men.

The men launched a vicious attack, kicking and punching the victim in the head, leaving him with serious eye injuries, a fractured hand and damaged teeth.

The shocking incident occurred at around 11.50pm on August 27, 2022.

Det Chief Amelia Nethell, of Blackburn and Darwen Police, said: “This was a nasty and entirely unprovoked attack on a man simply enjoying a night out, and we are determined to find those responsible.

“After the assault a number of people were spoken to but we believe there are more people with information about what happened, or people who were in the area who may have seen what happened.”

“We appreciate that the footage of the attack is distressing but we would urge you to take a moment to watch it to see if it jogs your memory.

“If you were in the area at the time you may have seen something that could help with our enquiries, so we would ask that you contact us straight away.”

Anybody with information can call 101, quoting log number 869 of August 29.

Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.