A BLIND man was pushed to the ground after he tried to protect his guide dog. Police have released a CCTV image of the man suspected of assaulting the 63-year-old victim in west Hull.
The blind man was outside the Nisa Local, in Beverley Road, when his guide dog started to fight with another dog.
Desperate to split the animals up, he tried to use his cane to separate them but, as he did so, a man ran out of the shop and pushed him in the chest.
Humberside Police are now appealing to the suspect to come forward, following the altercation on Sunday, June 1, between 10am and 10.35am.
A force spokesman said: "Clearly, the victim is a vulnerable individual who was just walking with his guide dog when he got involved in an incident with an unknown dog, which unfortunately resulted in him being assaulted.
"This would have shocked the individual, who, fortunately, wasn't seriously hurt."
The victim was pushed so hard he fell to the ground. Shocked onlookers rushed over to help him.
Police would also like to speak to these witnesses and anyone else who saw what happened.
"At this moment in time it is not clear if the offender knew the victim was visually impaired," the spokesman said.
"He could have been responding to seeing his dog involved in a fight with another dog, came out to intervene and obviously that has escalated.
"We want to find out the exact circumstances surrounding the incident and speak to any witnesses who may have seen what happened."
Sandra Ackroyd, the chief executive of Hull and East Riding Institute for the Blind, has branded the attacker a "coward" and has backed the police's appeal for information.
She said: "It is unbelievable that someone could do something like this.
"Most people in society are decent people and will find it appalling and would never want to be associated with someone like this.
"It is hard to imagine what must be in the mind of someone who would want to attack this person.
"Most of us cannot imagine what it would be like for someone who cannot see, so for someone to attack them, it would be very disorientating and distressing.
"Not all people, but some, feel very vulnerable, so this man is nothing but a coward."
Anyone with information should call 101, quoting number 2047747.
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