Shock at unprovoked attack

A young man who was left battered and bruised following an unprovoked attack in a Burnley bar has been left with physical and mental scars.
Josh HoltJosh Holt
Josh Holt

Mr Josh Holt (21) suffered a broken nose, chipped teeth and swollen lips after he was assaulted in the toilets of a town centre bar.

The travel adviser had been on a night out with friends when the frightening attack took place in the early hours of Sunday morning.

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Josh, a former Unity College student, posted pictures of his injuries on Facebook following the assault, and said he was shocked by the number of comments from people saying they had known of similar incidents in the town.

He said: “Anyone who knows me knows I’m not the sort of person to get into fights. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“The boy wasn’t provoked in any way at all, the only thing I remember was the first hit and being on the ground and kicked repeatedly in the face until I was able to get up and pretty much run out of the club.

“After I posted my pictures on Facebook I was really shocked by the number of comments I received on from people saying either them or their friends had suffered similar assaults.

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“I think it’s disgusting that some people can just attack a stranger for no reason. The perpetrators have no idea what it does to a person, physically or mentally.”

Josh, who was taken to hospital following the assault, says he is still shaken up and has not gone out in town since.

He added: “I will probably go out again in the future, but at the moment I’m not feeling up to it. It could have been a lot worse.”

Anyone with information can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, in confidence, 0800 555 111.