A MAN was taken to hospital after being left “unrecognisable” with facial injuries following an Easter Bank Holiday weekend assault and mugging in Llanrhystud.

The assailant made off with the 26-year-old man’s belongings - including his mobile phone, wallet, keys and trainers - after the late-night incident near the turning for Pencarreg Caravan Park on the A487 through the village sometime late on Saturday, 26 March, into the early hours of Sunday.

The man was found lying face down by the turning at around 2am after the clocks went forward to British Summer Time, with two couples stopping to help and wait with the victim until emergency services arrived.

Andrea Woolley, who found the victim while out with her daughter, didn’t realise she knew him until the police arrived and shone a torch at him, such was the extent of his injuries.

She said: “My daughter spotted him in the road, so we turned around. In the seconds it took for us to turn around, there was another couple stopped, and out helping. We were just trying to keep him awake and warm."

Police are appealing for witnesses and information following the incident, and have been going through CCTV images from the petrol station across the road from the incident in the hope of capturing the offender or the incident on camera.

Anyone who witnessed anything suspicious in the area, or anyone with any information, is urged to contact police on 101.

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