Six arrested after Witham assault

Six people are in custody following a serious assault on a man in Witham yesterday evening.

Officers acted swiftly and arrested six local people following the incident, which took place on Braintree Road just after 5.15pm on Monday 7 June.

The victim, a man in his 30s, remains in hospital with life-threatening head injuries and we are supporting his family at this very difficult time.

Inspector Jenna Mirrington-French, of Braintree and Uttlesford’s Community Policing Team, said:

“I’d like to thank the people of Witham for their patience last night, and for their assistance with our investigation so far.

“This is an appalling incident and has left a man in hospital fighting for his life.

“Thankfully, incidents with this level of violence are rare in this town, but I understand this will cause great concern to the local community. My officers will remain a visible presence in the area today, so if you see them patrolling or on a cordon, please stop and speak to them if you have any questions or concerns.

“Last night, we acted quickly to arrest six people – ranging in their age from 40 to 17 – and we will be progressing our investigation throughout the course of today.

“As you can see from these photos, a lot goes into an investigation, especially in its early hours. Whether that’s public reassurance, protecting the scene, or gathering evidence, we need all these pieces to come together quickly.

“I know this can cause some disruption, particularly when the location is central, so I’d once again like to thank the people of Witham for being so understanding.

“If you have yet to check your dash cam, CCTV, or doorbell footage, or if you saw or heard anything important and haven’t yet spoken to our officers – please do so. Call us on 101 or submit a report on our website. The incident number to quote is 974 of 7 June.”

Six people – a 41-year-old man, a 38-year-old woman, two 34-year-old men, a 28-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy – have been arrested on suspicion of intentionally causing grievous bodily harm.

Four of them – the 17-year-old boy, 28-year-old man, 38-year-old woman and the 41-year-old man have also been arrested on suspicion of affray. The 41-year-old was also arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs.