A man says he has been scarred for life after being slashed in the face in a row over a cigarette.
The 20-year-old, who does not want to be named, was standing outside Dixie Chicken in Cross Church Street in the centre of Huddersfield at about 2am on Sunday after spending Saturday night in town when a man he had never seen before approached him and asked for a cigarette.
The victim said he told him he didn’t have one– and the man punched him in the face before slashing him in the face, head and ear with a craft knife .
He said: “I thought he had scratched me but he cut my face with the knife.
“I don’t know why he slashed me. The argument started over a cigarette outside Dixie Chicken and moved to St Peter’s Gardens. I wouldn’t give him a cigarette and then it spiralled out of control.
“I ran off and a couple helped me. They rang the ambulance and put a tissue on my face to stop the bleeding.”
The victim was taken to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary with cuts to his ear, cheek and head, which were glued together but he says the doctor said he would be scarred for life.
He said: “I’m still a bit shaken up. I didn’t want to go out, but I went out the day after and I felt quite paranoid.
“I don’t know why he did it.”
A West Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: “There was an incident involving a number in the early hours of Sunday, September 18. During this a man was believed to be stabbed and suffered injuries which are not life threatening.”
Police have appealed for witnesses.
Contact Kirklees CID quoting crime reference 13160403434.
In unrelated investigations, police would like to speak to the people pictured in the image gallery below. The people pictured in the images may be witnesses as well as suspects. If you recognise anyone, contact police on 101 quoting the reference number on the image caption.
