MARHAM ABDUCTION LATEST: Attacker may have '˜visible facial injury' - police

Police are following up several calls and CCTV leads following the incident on Wednesday afternoon.

As previously reported, two men, said to be of Middle Eastern origin, tried to pull the serviceman into a car. He resisted them and managed to escape.

Det Supt Paul Durham, of the joint Norfolk and Suffolk major investigation team, said a short time ago: “The victim managed to fight off his attacker and head-butted him, we believe around the eye-socket, so it is possible he suffered swelling and bruising in this area.

“He was then punched which caused him to fall to the ground. Clearly the extent of his injuries is unknown however we do not believe either attack caused the suspect to bleed.

“If you know someone who matches the description of our suspect, who has a similar injury, then I would urge you to contact my officers.”

Over the weekend, police said they believed the attackers were operating as part of a wider group.

Extra patrols and house to house inquiries have continued in the area and a review of CCTV footage is ongoing.

Det Supt Durham added: “As I said from the very outset, due to the nature of this incident and the complex investigation required, we expect this to be a lengthy a process.

“CCTV footage continues to be gathered and reviewed while follow-up enquiries are being made after calls put in to the hotlines.

“Tracing the vehicle remains a priority and one point I would like to re-emphasise is that we do believe it may have contained more than the two suspects seen by the victim. This is important because I do not want to deter any potential witnesses from coming forward; it is the vehicle we are interested in, regardless of the number of people seen inside.”

The first suspect is described as between 20 and 30 years old, approximately 6ft tall, of athletic but stocky build, with dark hair which was long on top and had a well-groomed beard. He was of Middle Eastern origin in appearance with a dark skin tone and wore dark casual clothing.

The second man is said to be between 20-30 years old but younger than the first suspect and of a slimmer build. He was approximately 5’10” tall, clean shaven with short dark hair. He was also of Middle Eastern origin in appearance and wore a white t-shirt and dark shorts.

Anyone with information should either phone 101 or the investigation’s dedicated hotline numbers 0800 0560154 or 0207 1580011.