A young man had the barrel of a gun held to his head last night.

He then suffering considerable facial injuries as he was beaten about the head with the gun by his assailant.

Police described this as a "serious attack" and are appealing for witnesses.

The victim, a student in his early 20s, was walking along Whitehead Lane, near Huddersfield University, at 8pm when a man approached him from behind demanding items.

When the student refused to hand anything over, the suspect threatened him by placing the barrel of the gun on his forehead.

The student believed the gun to be fake, claiming it was plastic, and refused to hand anything over.

At this point the suspect beat him about the head with the gun, fracturing his left cheekbone and eye socket.

The assailant fled on a push bike and the victim flagged down a passing motorist who took him to a friend's house. From there he was taken by ambulance to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary where he received treatment for his injuries.

Police enquiries are at an early stage, but officers are extremely keen to speak to any members of the public  who may have seen anything suspicious.

The suspect is described as a white male around six feet tall who was wearing a blue, red and white jacked with a hood.

His age is not known.

Police would also like to speak to the people pictured in the gallery below. Just click to see an image and the offence that police would like to speak to them in connection with.

 

Detective Inspector Mark Truelove said: "This is a serious incident. It is, however, an isolated and unusual event in this location.

"Huddersfield CID would like to speak to anybody who has seen a person fitting the description or acting suspiciously.

"If anyone has seen a person in the area on a bike or acting suspiciously, or noticed  anything  out of the ordinary in this area, we would like to hear from them.

"There will be increased police patrols in the area and anybody who has any concerns should contact us."

Anyone with information should ring 101 and ask for Huddersfield CID.