Middle-aged couple left traumatised after brutal 'happy slap' attack in Dagenham

Attacked: The couple were walking near Lara Grill in Dagenham when the husband was assaulted
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Laura Proto13 January 2016
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A middle-aged couple were left “traumatised” after being subjected to a brutal 'happy slap' in east London.

The 59-year-old man and his 52-year-old wife were walking near to Lara Grill in Whaleborne Lane South, Dagenham, after a night out with friends on December 12.

The couple were approached by two men at about 11.15pm, with one attempting to make conversation with them while the other filmed them on his mobile phone.

The man told the pair to leave them alone before one of the men pushed his wife.

As the husband intervened, he was punched in the eye and fell to the ground, before being repeatedly hit in the face.

Good Samaritans came to the man’s aid and the suspects ran off through the Iceland store car park.

The male victim was taken to hospital and was later discharged.

'Happy slapping' is a fad in which apparently random attacks are filmed by the perpetrators.

Police said the attacker and the man who filmed the incident did not know the couple and there is no apparent motive for the assault.

Detective Constable Babu Sreedharan, from Barking and Dagenham CID, said: “This was an unprovoked attack on a couple who were coming home after enjoying a night out.

“The fact one of the suspects was filming the assault suggests the pair were planning to do this and may have approached others.

“The victim attended hospital and has now recovered from his injuries but it has left him traumatised and scared to walk in the area.

“Some of those who helped the victims have not come forward and we would like to speak to them as part of the investigation.”

The man who assaulted the victim is described as white, about 21 years old, of slight stocky build and about 5ft 9in tall.

He was said to be wearing a stripy t-shirt and was carrying a bag.

The second man, who filmed the attack, is also white, about 5ft 11in tall, of stocky build and hs short cropped brown hair.

No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information should call Barking and Dagenham CID on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting Cris number 5120890/15.

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