An 18-year-old man remains in hospital after being stabbed in an Oxfordshire park late at night.

Police were called to People’s Park in Banbury after reports of an assault at around 11.55pm yesterday (August 4).

Officers found a man with a single stab wound to his torso who was then taken to hospital, where he is in a stable condition, police confirmed on Monday morning. 

READ MORE: Oxford chemist found dead after knee replacement surgery

Witnesses reported seeing three males surrounding the victim before running off, Thames Valley Police has said.

The force added a scene watch in People's Park is likely to remain in place ”for some time”.

Many people living in the town were left wondering why the park had been cordoned off on Monday morning.

No arrests have been made at this stage as Thames Valley Police issues an appeal for public information in connection with the incident.

Detective Inspector James Holden-White, based at Banbury police station, said: “We are in the very early stages of this investigation, and there is a police presence in People’s Park, while this investigation continues.

“At this stage, no arrests have been made, but there is a scene-watch in place.

“I appreciate incidents such as this cause concern, but I would like to reassure the local community that we believe this to be an isolated incident and as such, do not believe there is a wider risk to the public.

“If anybody has any concerns, please don’t hesitate to speak to any of our officers at the scene.

“If you witnessed anything that may assist this investigation, or you have mobile phone, dash-cam or CCTV footage from the area at around the time of the incident, I would ask you to please get in touch with us."

You can contact Thames Valley Police online via the force's website, or by calling 101, quoting the reference number 43240373021.

Alternatively, if you don’t wish to speak directly to the police, you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Banbury MP Sean Woodcock said: “I am concerned to hear about the incident in Peoples’ Park on Sunday night. I would urge anyone with information to contact Thames Valley Police.”

The Oxford Mail launched an anti-knife campaign in April in response to a spate of incidents involving knives in the Oxford area. 

These included the death of 32-year-old Tobias Bruce after he was stabbed in Littlemore in February. Just four days after that attack, a stab victim was hospitalised following an assault in Barton.

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About the author

Rob is a digital reporter who also helps covering sport stories.

He joined the Oxford Mail in February 2023 having previously been at sister paper The Bucks Free Press for two years. 

Rob completed a journalism course at Darlington College and can be found on X at @RobertFolker.