Police are hunting a suspect after a man was sexually assaulted and then violently punched on the dance floor of a popular Wetherspoons pub in Plymouth.
Violent Ordeal in City Centre Pub
The incident took place at the Union Rooms in Plymouth city centre on Friday, September 12. According to Devon and Cornwall Police, the victim was first groped by another male reveller. When he confronted the individual about the sexual assault, the situation escalated rapidly.
The suspect responded by punching the victim multiple times in the face. The attack was severe enough to cause facial cuts and necessitate medical treatment for the injured man.
Police Appeal for Public Assistance
Investigating officers have now released a CCTV image of a man they are keen to identify. They believe he may hold vital information that could assist their enquiry. The individual in the picture was seen wearing a light-coloured hooded top at the time of the incident.
Authorities are urging anyone who was in the Union Rooms that night, or who recognises the man from the released image, to contact them immediately.
Separate Wetherspoons Incident Highlighted
This attack follows an entirely separate violent episode at a different Wetherspoons establishment earlier in the year. In January, a landlady at the Navigation Inn in Birmingham required surgery after being stabbed in the arm during a knife fight that left three people injured.
Nineteen-year-old Kadeem Russell from West Bromwich was subsequently charged with multiple offences, including three counts of wounding and possessing a blade.
A spokesperson for Wetherspoons told Metro they were "horrified that this incident took place inside the pub", emphasising that the venue otherwise maintains an "excellent reputation".
In a related appeal, British Transport Police are also seeking help to identify a man in connection with a sexual assault on a train from Yorkshire to Selby on Sunday, December 14.
