Man assaulted and robbed after trying to help at faked road crash scene

A man was attacked and robbed after coming to the aid of a man pretending to have been injured in a road collision.

The assault and theft happened in the Summerhill Road area of Dunmurry in greater Belfast at around 4.40pm on Friday.

The victim had driven onto Summerhill Road from Creighton Road and saw a man lying in the middle of the road beside an electric scooter.

He believed the man had been injured and pulled over to check he was okay.

Police said as the victim approached the man on the ground, he heard a noise at his car and turned around to see a second man sitting in the driver’s seat before getting out and running off.

He attempted to return to his vehicle but the man who had been lying on the ground got up, grabbed him by the neck and pulled him back.

Police said he was then attacked by the suspect with a Stanley knife-type object.

The victim suffered superficial cuts to his stomach, right arm and right leg.

Police said both suspects involved were around 18 years old, approximately 5ft 10ins in height and of medium build. They ran off toward Twinbrook.

Police said a large sum of money and a mobile phone were stolen from the victim’s car.

A PSNI spokesperson described the incident as “callous and disturbing”.

“The victim went to the aid of someone he thought had been injured and was attacked for his efforts,” said the spokesperson.

“This was a terrifying experience and our investigation is underway and we are appealing to anyone who was in the Summerhill Road area around 4.40pm or who noticed anything suspicious to contact us on 101 quoting reference number 1587 09/06/23.”