A 15-year-old was punched in the face and had his rucksack stolen when he was walking to school.

The teenager was walking along the alleyway that connects St Anthony’s Crescent to Trafalgar Close when at around 7.45am on Friday he was approached from behind and punched in the face.

His attacker then fled the scene with the boy’s rucksack, which contained a Blackberry mobile phone.

The suspect is described as a 6ft tall, well-built black man, believed to be aged around 30 – 40. At the time of the crime he was described as wearing; blue jeans, a black hooded top, white trainers, and a single glove.

If you saw someone of a similar description in the area at the time of the crime, or if you have any information that could help police with their investigations, please contact Pc Evans on 101 quoting crime reference IE/14/2748 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.