Young thugs in vicious attack on frail elder

WERE YOU IN or near Sussex Road, E6, just before 7pm on Sunday, 27th August? If so, did you see three thugs attack a frail, 82 year old man and rob him of his personal jewellery?

One of the thugs grabbed the victim, who uses a walking stick, by the neck while the other two punched his back and arms. They then pushed him to the ground and pinned him down while they took off his Longine wristwatch and a gold bracelet he was wearing.

Mr Dobran, pictured in hospital after the attack.

The victim, Ahmet Dobran, sustained three fractures to his vertebrae. He has Parkinson’s Disease and is currently having treatment for cancer. The shock of the attack has aggravated these other conditions. He has spent most of the last month in and out of an induced coma. He has had to use equipment to help him breathe and has had a tracheotomy, which may or may not be permanent.

Over a month after the attack, Mr Dobran remains in a critical condition in a high dependency ward in hospital. Mr Dobran has given his permission for his photo to be published so that people can see just how vicious the attackers were.

The police are working hard to try to find the attackers and have released images taken from CCTV. PC Sam Bush, the investigating officer, said: “How three grown men can be so vicious in attacking and robbing an 82-year-old man with a walking stick is beyond comprehension. He was out shopping at the time of the attack and had bags of shopping in his hands, which made him even more vulnerable. The callous men who attacked Ahmet swore at him throughout the attack.

After a month in hospital, Mr Dobran’s condition remains critical.

“The men still have not been identified, and I believe that they are not local to the area of East Ham, or even Newham. Someone knows who the suspects are. We need to catch these vicious thugs before they target anyone else as they clearly have utter disregard for their victims and do not hesitate to use violence.”

Mr Dobran’s children issued the following statement:  “We are all devastated by it all. This attack has taken his independence away. Our father is not an indoor person, and now he will be stuck indoors for the rest of his life. We are appalled at how someone can do this to an old man. He is now unable to fly to Cyprus to see the rest of his family. He used to go there a couple of times a year.

“Can someone please come forward with information regarding who done this to our father? Someone knows who they are. The people who did this could do this to someone else, with no guilty conscience.”

•If you were in Sussex Road that day or if you recognise the men pictured above or have any other information about the attack, please call police via 101. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800-555 111, where you can give information anonymously.

•Read more about it:
Hackney man jailed for sledgehammer assault
Saif Uddin: conditional discharge for assault

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