A TEENAGER was seriously injured in an attack that led to a 'large' riverside brawl.
The man, aged in his late teens, was assaulted after arguing with another man in Oxford in the early hours of yesterday morning.
He suffered a serious head injury in the assault in Middle Fisher Row - the path that runs along Castle Mill Stream, connecting Park End Street and Hythe Bridge Street.
Following an incident last night, Hythe Bridge Street park and the Oxford Canal Towpath is closed. You can still access the canal by walking up Upper Fisher Row. Small detour.... @CRTnotices @CRTContactUs @OxTweets @CRTSouthEast pic.twitter.com/9NZBqPWMud
— Oxford Waterways (@Oxford_waters) April 20, 2019
Appealing for witnesses today, Thames Valley Police said this resulted in a 'larger scuffle' between two groups, before they eventually separated and left the area.
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The victim was taken to hospital and is now in a stable condition, the force said.
Police did not state exactly how the injury was sustained, but confirmed that it is not life-threatening.
An aerial view of Middle Fisher Row. Pic: Google Maps
Police believe the attacker was with another man and woman at the time of the assault, who might have witnessed what happened.
Investigating officer, Detective Constable Robert Prout, of Force CID based at Oxford, said: "We are appealing for anyone witnesses to this assault to come forward.
"This was an assault in Oxford and we believe there may be a number of people who were in the area at the time who might have witness information.
"We would ask anyone with information to please come forward."
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Anyone with information can call 101 quoting reference 43190118788, file a report on the force's website, or call anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
One Oxford Mail reader, commenting on Facebook, said just last month he stopped a student being mugged in the same spot.
He wrote: "Two men [were] hitting the young lad and demanding his phone while he was sat on the bench by the river."
The area is often busy at night, particularly at weekends, as several bars and clubs are nearby.
Yesterday an Oxford Mail investigation revealed that Park End Street, along with Cowley Road, topped the list of Oxford crime hotspots last year.
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Data was pulled from the Police.UK website, which collates crimes by their location, and showed that 204 crimes were recorded in Park End Street during 2018.
Many were of a violent or sexual nature, while there were also problems with drugs.
The data did not include offences in larger supermarkets, nightclubs or car parks, nor traffic offences, which are logged separately.
Responding to the statistics, county councillor Susanna Pressel said residents told her of 'screaming, shouting and general hooliganism' in Hythe Bridge Street last weekend, for the duration of Saturday night.
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