Police pursuing man connected to 'horrific attack' outside Slug and Lettuce in Fareham with man and woman hospitalised

Two victims were rushed to hospital after they were beaten severely as they were leaving Slug and Lettuce in Fareham Town Centre.

The brutal attack happened in the early hours of August 6 in West Street. A man in his 30s, of Gosport, and a woman in her 20s, of Fareham, were walking towards the bus station and taxi rank in Harper Way.

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They were surrounded by a gang and attacked. The man received serious but not life-threatening injuries, with the woman suffering from minor injuries.

Both of them have since been discharged from Southampton General Hospital. Police have been investigating since, and have now released a CCTV image of a man connected to the attack.

They are urging the public to come forward with information, and to the man himself to speak to them. Five men have been interviewed under caution, with two eliminated from enquiries.

Detective constable Katherine Hollis said: ‘We have previously released appeals in relation to this incident and have interviewed five men under caution as part of our investigation. Two of these men have subsequently been eliminated from our enquiries.

‘We have now been able to obtain this clear image of a sixth man that we need to speak to. Is this you? Do you recognise this person?

‘If you know him, or you have any information at all about this assault, then we want to hear from you.’

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DC Hollis was shocked by the barbarity of the assault. As previously reported by The News in August, she said: ‘We are really keen to hear from anyone who may have witnessed this horrific attack on two people as they left a local restaurant in the early hours of Saturday morning.’

Anyone with information regarding the assault is advised to call 101, quoting the crime reference number 44220317048. People can also submit a report on the police website.

As an alternative, people can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111. An anonymous online form can also be filed on their website.