Armed gang beats man before taking his car

The victim was working on his car at a house in Olympian Way at around 2pm on Saturday, February 22, when a silver BMW vehicle with a 07 plate pulled up. A group of men brandishing weapons then got out.

The man ran across the car park and in between two blocks of flats onto a grassed area, but the gang caught up with him and he was repeatedly kicked, punched and hit with the weapons.

One of the men then jumped into the victim’s black Volkswagen Passat and drove off. The vehicle was found later that day on The Parkway, in Darley Dale.

The man is now recovering from a fractured leg resulting from the attack.

One of the attackers is described as being white with short dark hair, wearing a grey hooded top, grey or light blue jogging bottoms and black footwear.

The second was white, well–built and wearing a grey beanie hat, grey hooded top and grey joggers.

The third was white, with short dark hair, and wearing a white and dark blue jumper, dark blue jeans and dark shoes with white soles.

A Derbyshire police spokesman said: “This was a very serious incident and one which left the victim with several injuries.

“We are increasing patrols in Darley Dale and want to reassure people that this sort of attack is very unusual for the area.

“We want to hear from anyone who might have seen the vehicles in the area, or people matching the descriptions of those given, no matter how insignificant you might think it is.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact DC Stephen Pullar at Matlock Police Station using the non–emergency number 101.

Alternatively, people can call Crimestoppers, leaving an anonymous message, on 0800 555 111.

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