Postman left with serious head wound in mystery attacK

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Postman left with serious head wound in mystery street attack

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MYSTERY surrounds the suspected stabbing of a South Devon postman left bleeding from a serious head wound on a Paignton pavement.

The 32-year-old man was found lying on the ground in Fisher Street, bleeding heavily from a deep wound to his head from the top of his eye across his forehead to his scalp, exposing his skull.

The victim is said by witnesses to be a well-known Paignton postman, originally from Ghana, known locally as George.

Sharon Smythe, a barmaid at nearby Torbay Inn, said: "My son was with his friends and they saw George covered in blood — his head was split right open. He was very badly injured."


The incident happened at about 10.55pm on Friday at the junction of Fisher Street and Elmsleigh Road. The suspected attack was reported to emergency services by a taxi driver on his way home from work.

About five minutes earlier, the ambulance service received another call from a taxi driver to report an injured 25-year-old with lacerations to his arm, also on Fisher Street.

Neither police nor ambulance could say if the two incidents are linked.

Police sent four units and a police helicopter to the stabbing incident and cordoned off the area.

Police Insp Bob Howell said: "We were called at about 10.55pm to reports of a man who had been stabbed. He had an injury to his head. At the moment we are unsure if he was attacked or if he fell.

"The incident was reported by a taxi driver who came across him lying on the ground. The taxi driver called 999 saying, 'it looks like he has been stabbed'.

"Initially we dealt with the incident as a crime scene and part of Fisher Street was cordoned off. We didn't find a knife."

Insp Howell said the circumstances were 'very vague' and officers would be talking to the victim today to try to piece together what happened.

He said he had no record of any other incident in Fisher Street at the same time.

An ambulance spokesman confirmed two crews had been sent to each incident, both of which were called in by a taxi driver.

The spokesman said: "We received a call at 10.50pm to reports of a 25-year-old man, whose chief complaint was lacerations to his arm.

"A taxi driver coming home from work called it in and described him as black, 5ft 10in and wearing a hoody. He was taken to Torbay Hospital."

He continued: "At about the same time we received a call from a taxi driver to say someone had been stabbed at the junction of Fisher Street and Elmsleigh Road."

Barmaid Mrs Smythe added: "A taxi driver came up behind my son and called 999 and the ambulance came to take him to hospital.

"The police cordoned off the area where they found him."

She added: "He's the postman and he comes in here to have a drink and watch the football. He's a lovely guy. I think he's from Ghana."