Three men hurt as moped rider ploughs into group of yobs fighting on Southsea Common

The violent fracas took place on Tuesday, June 1, between 10pm and 11pm, police said today.

A large fight broke out between two groups on the open space, which during lockdown has become a notorious hotspot for brawls.

The disorder is believed to have sparked when a moped rode very close to a small group of people on the Common.

‘This then escalated to a large group of people confronting the smaller group, and two or more men in the smaller group were run over by the man on the moped,’ a spokesman for Hampshire police said.

‘As a result of this incident, three men in their 20s suffered facial injuries – one of which sustained a broken jaw.’

Police have already carried out a number of enquiries but are now launching an appeal for witnesses or for anyone with information about the people involved to come forward.

‘We are keen to identify the man on the moped. At this time we have a limited description of him. He has been described as white, aged between 17 and 23 years, slim with brown hair,’ a police spokesman added. ‘He was riding a black Peugeot moped.’

News of the disorder comes after recently-appointed police and crime commission for Hampshire, Donna Jones, admitted she was ‘concerned’ by the escalating level of youth violence in the city.

Figures released this week show Portsmouth has the highest rate of youth crime offences across the south east – higher even than London.

Ministry of Justice data reveals that 170 children aged under 18 in Portsmouth were cautioned by police or sentenced in court in the year to March 2020.

Between them, the children and teenagers were involved in more than 550 offences across the city.

Speaking to The News, the former Portsmouth City Council boss said: ‘The youth offending rates in Portsmouth are concerning.

‘They are higher than other parts of the south east and clearly more needs to be done.’

SEE ALSO: Man injured in Portsmouth knife attack

Anyone with information about the incident on Southsea Common is asked to call police on 101, quoting 44210213746.

Alternatively, contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their anonymous online form at crimestoppers-uk.org

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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