Police appeal for information in connection with the serious assault of two men in Southampton

Officers investigating the serious assault of two men on Shirley Road, Southampton, on Sunday evening (23 July) are now appealing to the public for information.

We were called shortly after 11pm to reports that two 30-year-old men had sustained stab wounds on Shirley Road.

They were both taken to hospital for treatment and are now in a stable condition.

We arrested a 23-year-old man, a 39-year-old man, a 33-year-old man, a 44-year-old man, a 25-year-old man and two 34-year-old men, all from Southampton, on suspicion of attempted murder.

One of the 34-year-old man has been released from the investigation with no further action being taken against him. The remaining six men have been released on conditional police bail to allow for further enquiries to continue.

The bail includes strict conditions which must be adhered to, and the men will be required to report to custody throughout the course of the investigation and a breach of any of their bail conditions can result in further arrest.

Detective Constable Daryanne Ryan said: “We do appreciate that violent incidents of this nature are worrying to the public, and I would like to reassure you that we have a dedicated team of officers investigating the circumstances of these serious assaults. I would also like to reiterate that we do not believe there to be any wider risk to the general public at the current time.

“As part of our enquiries, we would now like to appeal to anyone who was in the Paynes Road and Dyer Road area between 10.30pm and 11.15pm on Sunday evening (23 July) to please come forward and speak to us if you saw or heard anything. We’re particularly keen to hear from anyone with dash cam footage from the area at the time.

“The release of the six men on bail has been deemed necessary to allow enough time to conduct and progress a thorough investigation, as officers continue to follow up a number of lines of enquiry in addition to those that have been investigated so far. We thank the community for their patience as we continue our work in the area.” 

Anyone with information should call 101 quoting Op Shortfin/44230296893.

Alternatively, go online and submit information via https://www.hampshire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/

You can also submit information 100% anonymously via Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or by visiting https://crimestoppers-uk.org/