‘Traumatised’ teenager stabbed in ‘horrifying’ attempted robbery

A teenager has been taken to hospital after being stabbed in the arm during an attempted robbery.

Merseyside Police confirmed that officers were called to Bird Street, close to Smithdown Road, at around 7am today, Monday 20 May, following reports of a 16-year-old boy who had been stabbed. He was taken to hospital with a stab wound to his arm, which is currently being assessed.

A spokesman for the force said extensive CCTV, forensic and door-to-door inquiries are underway in the area – and detectives are appealing for information following the attack and attempted robbery.

READ MORE: Landlord’s ‘regret’ event with Swastika cake held at his pub

READ MORE: Victim Rebecca Joynes: ‘I realize I sacrificed 18 months to be with a pedophile’

Detective Inspector Michael Fletcher said: “Our inquiries are in the early stages but we initially believe this was an attempted robbery. We understand the concern that incidents like this cause in our communities and we will do everything in our power to find those responsible and bring them to justice for a young teenager, this is horrific and will be an extremely traumatic.

“Carrying knives can have fatal consequences and it is only by luck that the victim is not more seriously injured. If you live locally or are passing by on foot or in a vehicle, please check any devices, especially around 6.50am. Anyone who saw the incident, or anyone who left on foot or on a pedal bike, may have vital information to help you.

“Through partnership working, patrols, warrants, stop and field searches, we are committed to preventing the devastation caused by knife crime and in the last year we have seen knife crime in Merseyside fall by 18 .6%. Last week was a week of action as part of Sceptre, the national knife crime awareness campaign, and we want to continue to highlight the harm that gun ownership causes so that the number of people affected continues to fall.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact @MerPolCC, call 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 24000455188.

Don’t miss the biggest and breaking stories by subscribing to the Echo Daily newsletter here.