A MAN suffered a broken jaw and a woman was knocked unconscious in an attack in York city centre.

The couple, who have asked not to be named, run a business in the Bootham area of the city and were assaulted in the street after the woman asked two men to move away from the business.

The attack happened at about 2pm on Thursday and witnesses said it lasted for several minutes.

They said: “We asked him to move and he just said ‘I’m not moving, what are you going to do’. I told him I’d phone the police, and he squared up to me, nose to nose.

“I called for my partner, who came out, and he just punched him to the floor. I think the first punch broke his jaw. He got back up and tried to protect me, and it was chaos. He just wouldn’t stop. He punched me in the face and I fell to the floor unconscious, for about 10 or 15 seconds. I don’t really remember much after that.”

York Press:

Members of the public came to the aid of the couple, and the attacker walked to Exhibition Square, then left before police arrived.

A nearby worker said: “He went and sat down back on the wall as if nothing had happened. As soon as he heard the police siren, he finished his beer and went off.

“It’s a daily problem, and there are a lot of new faces there. They aren’t always homeless, but obviously they’re meeting up to have drink and drugs. They’re handing them out here, and going to the toilets, shouting across the road what they’re doing, it’s not discreet at all.”

The female attack victim said: “More often than not, my little girl would be around, and if not for her starting school this week, she would have seen the whole thing."

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said a 48-year-old man had been arrested and bailed on suspicion of wounding with intent and ABH.

He said: “This was a shocking incident, and an investigation is underway to identify those responsible. This kind of behaviour is unacceptable, and we would ask members of the public to continue to report crime and anti-social behaviour to us via 101 so we can deal with it robustly.”

Steve Waddington, assistant director for housing and community safety at City of York Council, said the authority was “aware of the situation” and were working with the police and local businesses “to minimise any anti-social behaviour developing”.

He said: “Police or council officers can enforce the city centre’s Alcohol Restriction Zone and are able to request the surrender of alcohol where it is creating anti social disturbance.

“The police and council continue to work to resolve street drinking in the city. Not by simply moving people on but by addressing the root causes through an ongoing joint support and enforcement process.”