A man was punched to the ground and robbed of a rucksack in Oxford.

At about 12.30am yesterday, a 40-year-old man was walking in the alleyway that adjoins Rose Hill Road and Hillsborough Road when he was approached by three men.

They demanded that he hand over his rucksack and then punched him to the ground.

The offenders were white, aged in their late teens to early twenties and between 5ft 10in and 6ft tall. One of them was wearing a light grey sweatshirt, trousers and had a grey sweatshirt tied round his head.

PC Fiona Lubbock said: “The men stole his bag, which contained his wallet, some food and a Bible. Shortly after the incident, three teenagers picked up the victim’s bag and handed it to him. The only thing that was missing from the bag was the man’s food.

“This was an unprovoked attack which left the victim with bruising and cuts to his face. I appeal to anyone with information that could assist my enquiries to get in touch.”

Anyone who was in Rose Hill in the early hours of yesterday and saw three men acting suspiciously is asked to contact PC Lubbock via the Thames Valley Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505.

If you don’t want to speak to police and don’t want to leave your name contact the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.