Man is stabbed on New Year's Eve in Weymouth (From Dorset Echo)

Man is stabbed on New Year's Eve in Weymouth

9:56am Thursday 3rd January 2013 in News By Catherine Bolado

A MAN was stabbed in Weymouth in a violent start to the new year.

Inspector for Weymouth and Portland, Les Fry, said the service had a ‘busy’ New Year’s Eve and into New Year’s Day.

The most serious incident of the night was an assault at the junction of Walpole Street and Lennox Street, where a 25-year-old Weymouth man was stabbed in the torso at 11.30pm.

Blood could be seen on the pavement where the incident happened.

One witness, who did not wish to be named, heard a group of people arguing, some of who were in fancy dress.

She didn’t see the incident and didn’t realise what had happened until another in the group called the ambulance.

She said: “I saw someone fall on the floor. I thought he’d been punched.

“It wasn’t until one of the others said ‘He’s bleeding, he’s been stabbed,’ and one said call an ambulance.”

She called the police. She said: “I was really shook up.

“It’s just not very pleasant to think people are going round with knives now. It never used to be like that round here.”

The man was taken to Dorset County Hospital for treatment and was discharged on New Year’s Day.

One Walpole Street resident said she had been having a family party for New Year’s Eve when the police knocked on her door to ask if she had heard anything.

Maria Barras said: “It was scary. There were police cars everywhere. Police were standing in the road and they had the corner taped off.”

“You don’t expect it in a quiet seaside town.”

Police are appealing for witnesses and the investigation is ongoing.

Inspector Fry said: “We would like to reassure the public of Weymouth this is a very rare incident.

“We will do all we can to make sure the offender is brought to justice.”

The police were called to a number of incidents in the town including assaults and reports of fights.

Inspector Fry said the total number of arrests were down compared to other years due to ‘practical and sensible policing,’ but that the behaviour of some people, who went out drinking excessively and getting into trouble was ‘disappointing.’ He said that not only did law abiding party goers have to witness such behaviour but so did those going to work on New Year’s Day.

Inspector Fry said he was grateful for the ‘commitment and hard work’ of officers and grateful to their partners including CCTV, doormen and the ambulance service.

Witnesses and anyone with information about the assault should call Dorset Police on 101.

SOME of the other incidents the police were called to across the New Year’s period were:

Two men throwing advertising boards around at 1am.
A fight in Pottery Lane at 1am.
A fight involving several men at Aynsley Court.
An assault in King Street at 3.30am.
A man was arrested for criminal damage after putting his hand through the window of a bar on St Thomas Street.
At 5.10am an 18-year-old was treated by paramedics after reportedly being punched in the nose by a stranger.
A person was arrested for assault after an incident at a bar on the Esplanade.