Suspect sprayed victim in the face with unknown substance during daylight robbery near The Range in Hartlepool

Cleveland Police have now issued an appeal of a man they would like to speak to in connection with the robbery who may be able to assist with their inquiries.

A 26-year-old man was approached by a man in the area outside The Rand, in Tees Bay Retail Park, Hatlepool, who grabbed him by his jacket and pushed him backwards against a bush.

The robbery suspect then held a canister to the victim’s face whistle making verbal threats during the incident which occurred between 2.30pm and 3.15pm on Friday, May 22.

The suspect then reached inside the victim’s jacket and took his money along with a scratch card and a broken mobile phone.

When the victim attempted to take back his money, he was sprayed in the face with an unknown substance from a canister which was similar to a deodorant spray.

The suspect then ran onto the grassed area behind Halfords and dropped some of the cash which he stole.

As the suspect went onto the grassed area, he turned to face the victim, removed his jacket and took out a kitchen knife. He then ran off towards Seaton Lane.

The 26-year-old victim received treatment at the time of the incident from paramedics but fortunately he did not need any further treatment.

The suspect is described as a white male, aged 25-30 years old, around 6ft tall, of proportionate build with short, black hair. He was wearing a blue Berghaus jacket with a bright red T-shirt underneath and black bottoms.

Cleveland Police have now issued a CCTV image of a man they would like to speak to in connection with this incident.

Officers would appeal for the man in the image to contact them directly, or anyone who may know of his identity, is asked to call Detective Constable Andrew Morland from Hartlepool CID on the non-emergency number 101, quoting event number 82125.

Independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111, or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

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