Detectives are appealing for information after a Selby man was knocked unconscious when he attempted to stop two men stealing fuel from a petrol station.
The victim, aged 22, had just filled up his car at the Jet garage on Bawtry Road at around 9.40pm on Thursday 6 September 2012, when he noticed a man filling up a white jerry can with petrol which he didn’t pay for.
The man ran off in the direction of the boat yard followed by the victim who confronted him and asked if he had paid for the petrol.
At this point a second man punched the victim to the ground. As the victim got to his feet, he saw the man with the jerry can come towards him as he lost consciousness.
The two men then left the scene in a small white van, in the direction of Selby.
The first man is described as white, aged in his early 20s and around 5ft 8in tall. He was wearing dark clothing.
The second man was white, around 6ft 1in tall, with a large build and wide shoulders. He was slightly older than the first man.
The victim sustained a broken cheekbone, broken tooth, and injuries to his shoulder, nose, hands and jaw in the incident. He was taken to York District Hospital for treatment and was discharged the following day.
Officers are appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward, in particular two men who were in the petrol station at the same time as the victim and left in the same direction as him.
DC Amanda Bostwick, of Selby CID, said:
The victim showed great bravery which unfortunately resulted in him sustaining some nasty injuries.
I am appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident to contact the police or Crimestoppers with information.
I am particularly interested in speaking to two men who came into the petrol station shop just after the victim. They may have information vital to the investigation and I urge them to get in touch.
Anyone who can help officers with their enquiries is urged to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 – select option 2 – and ask for Amanda Bostwick or Selby CID.
Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Please quote reference number 12120149276 when passing information about this incident.
