Witness appeal following attempted robbery

We are appealing for witnesses and those with information relating to an attempted robbery in South Gloucestershire.

A man, in his fifties, was riding his mobility scooter along the Bristol to Bath cycle path when three unknown offenders attempted to rob him near Warmley between 2.45-3pm on Friday 18 September.

The man suffered minor injuries during the incident before the offenders fled into a wooded area adjacent to the cycle path near Warmley Tea Rooms.

We understand a cyclist passed through the scene at the time of the incident, possibly disturbing the offenders who fled into the wooded area, and we would appeal to them to come forward with any information which could assist our enquiries.

The first offender has been described as a white male, between the ages of 14 and 18, of medium build, around 5ft 9-10ins tall, who was wearing a black long-sleeved jacket with the hood up, plain black tracksuit bottoms, black trainers, black gloves, and a face-covering pulled up to the bridge of his nose. He spoke with a Bristol accent.

The second has been described as a male of mixed heritage, between the ages of 14 and 18, around 6ft tall, of slim build, who was wearing a black long-sleeved rain jacket with the hood up, a black face covering, a black tracksuit, and grey trainers.

The third has been described as male, around 5ft 4-6ins tall, of stocky build, wearing a black tracksuit with a zip-up hoody which had a golden eagle emblazoned on the front left of the chest and a face covering. He had a blonde fringe and black trainers.

Neighbourhood Inspector Barny Mabbett said: “This is a concerning incident involving a vulnerable victim who feels he was targeted due to his physical disabilities; therefore we are treating this as a hate crime. There is absolutely no place for hate, intimidation or violence in Avon and Somerset. Where crimes are committed, we will act robustly and pursue those responsible.

“This was an attempted robbery where, fortunately, nothing was stolen and neither did the victim suffer serious injury. The incident, nonetheless, will be fully investigated and we understand there was a cyclist in the area who may have disturbed the offenders and we would appeal to them to come forward with any information which could assist our enquiries, no matter how trivial it may seem.

“We have conducted a number of additional patrols along the railway path to provide reassurance and to deter criminality recently, and we would encourage members of the public to continue to report incidents so we’re able to target our resources where they are needed most.”