Teenager attacked with knife in attempted robbery near the University of East Anglia

Detectives are appealing for witnesses following an attempted robbery which happened on a footpath near to the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich.

It happened on Monday at about 5.20pm on the footpath that leads from the UEA onto Bluebell Road near the junction of North Park Avenue.

The victim, an 18-year-old man, was walking on the footpath towards Bluebell Road when he was approached by two men who asked if he had a lighter.

The suspects then pushed the victim against a fence and tried going through his pockets.

During the scuffle the victim was kicked and attacked with what is believed to be a knife, suffering several scratches to his stomach which did not require medical treatment.

At this point a vehicle passed near the footpath, causing the men to run off empty handed.

The first suspect is described as white, in his early 20s, 6ft 5in, of slim build and was wearing a grey hoodie. The second man is described as white, also in his early 20s, of stocky build wearing a green puffa jacket.

A spokesperson for the UEA said: ''The University takes the security of its students, staff and visitors very seriously and incidents such as this are very uncommon at UEA.

'Our security team patrols the campus 24 hours a day and CCTV is active across the University grounds. We are doing everything we can to assist the police with their enquiries.'

Officers are keen to hear from anyone who may have witnesses the incident or noticed two men fitting the above descriptions in the area that afternoon/early evening. • Witnesses should contact Det Con Roland Philpin at Norwich CID on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.