POLICE are appealing for witnesses to an apparently unprovoked attack in which a teenager was stabbed in the chest, puncturing his lung.

POLICE are appealing for witnesses to an apparently unprovoked attack in which a teenager was stabbed in the chest, puncturing his lung.

Detectives in Colchester are asking for help from the public after the 18-year-old local man was stabbed and beaten.

They are particularly keen to speak to a man who may have seen the attack happen in Spurgeon Street, Colchester in the early evening of Friday, January 15.

The victim suffered a deflated lung after being stabbed in the chest, thigh and back.

He was admitted to Colchester Hospital but released after a couple of days treatment.

There is no obvious motive for the attack and police are seeking witnesses who may have seen a disturbance in Spurgeon Street.

Detectives would particularly like to hear from a white man, aged in his 40s, that the victim asked for directions on Hythe Hill, near Motorman, just before the attack.

The victim was asking directions for a short cut to the Greenstead estate.

Anyone who saw the attack in Spurgeon Street, or knows anything that may help police with the investigation, is asked to contact police at Colchester on 0300 333 4444, or to call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.