Middlesbrough Severed Penis Assault: Victim Still too Distressed to Speak About Roadside Attack

A man who had his penis cut off in a vicious attack is still too upset to tell police what happened.

The unnamed 40-year-old victim, believed to be from Teesside, remains in a stable condition in hospital after he was put into an induced coma following the assault last Thursday.

He was found "in a clear state of distress" scouring the bushes off the A66 in Middlesborough in search of his missing appendage.

Sections of the dual carriageway were shut as police assisted the search.

It is suspected that a gypsy gang may have cut off the man's penis as part of a revenge attack for him sleeping with one of their girlfriends, according to a report in the Daily Mail.

On Saturday detectives had tried to speak to the man at the James Cook University Hospital to try to find out how he suffered the serious injuries.

But Cleveland Police said the man, who is from a travellers' site in the South Bank area of Middlesborough, was still too distressed to give them details about what had happened.

A police spokesman said: "We are looking at various lines of inquiry. However we have to still to obtain an account from the man who remains in hospital and in a stable condition."

Police arrested a 22-year-old on suspicion of assault. He has now been bailed pending inquiries.

Anyone who can help police with the investigation should call 101.