Essex Police investigate attack which broke man's shoulder

The victim of the assault, a store detective who asked to be referred to as 'Zee', told the Gazette he was attacked after he confronted a man and his dog for approaching a teenage girl at 9pm on Thursday, May 23.

He said: “I was on my way to attend a store in Harwich Road and I noticed a massive guy with a massive dog.

“There was a 17-year-old lady who was crossing the road and he was just behind her.

"Suddenly, he tried to remove her scarf and managed to punch her in the back of the head.”

Zee, 60, said he ran to help the girl and confronted the man.

Police have not yet tracked down the suspect but he was photographed by a member of the public.

The man then assaulted Zee and broke his shoulder.

Zee said: “He had a go at me. As I walked away from him, he ran up behind me and tried to punch me.

“I lost my balance and fell on my shoulder. I got up quickly and used my left arm to defend myself.”

Zee, of Coggeshall, was taken to hospital for treatment.

Proud – Zee said he was standing up for a girl who he said was confronted by another man (Image: Zee)

Essex Police say their enquiries are ongoing.

A spokesman said: “We are currently investigating a serious assault, which occurred on Harwich Road in Colchester at around 9pm on May 23.

“The victim was assaulted by an unknown suspect, sustaining serious injuries to his shoulder.

“Enquiries remain ongoing and no arrests have been made at this stage.”

Police added the incident is not being treated as a hate crime or a dangerous dog investigation.

Zee claimed a second assault took place moments after he went inside the Co-op to wait for police, but this has not been confirmed.

He said: “Providing safety to the public and the community is something I am very proud of.

"It’s not the first time I have done it and I will do it again, even it means getting another broken shoulder."

Anyone who witnessed the incident should contact Essex Police, and quote incident number 42/7992324.