Thug jailed after video of 'violent and unprovoked' attack in Alnwick posted on social media

Ross Renforth, 21, was put behind bars less than 24 hours after being arrested by police officers in Alnwick following a serious assault on Friday, June 26.

Police were only made aware of the assault on Monday morning after a video showing the brutal attack was posted on social media.

The video showed the 33-year-old male victim walking alone on Cedar Grove in Alnwick before being verbally and physically assaulted by Renforth in an unprovoked attack.

He suffered serious facial injuries, resulting in a broken nose, and was left incredibly shaken by the attack.

An investigation was launched and only a couple hours later, following inquires, the cowardly thug found himself in handcuffs.

Renforth, of no fixed address, was charged with common assault harm and immediately appeared at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court this morning (Tuesday, June 30).

The video evidence left him with no option but to enter a guilty plea and he was jailed for 14 weeks.

Neighbourhood Sergeant Sharon Wilmore-Greaves praised the members of the public who made police aware of the video and also condemned the violent actions of Renforth.

She said: “Renforth had targeted a lone man and carried out a violent and unprovoked attack resulting in serious injuries to the victim.

“He was swiftly brought to justice by our officers which resulted in a secure a prompt conviction thanks to the brave witnesses.

“I want to thank the community for reporting the horrific incident and the witnesses for their bravery to help put a violent brute behind bars.”

She added: “We rely on witnesses to support investigations when dealing with people who blatantly break the law, cause harm to others and cause fear to others.”

“We will continue to safeguard the vulnerable and target offenders to continue to make the community a safe place to live, work and visit.”

The court also ordered Renforth to pay £250 compensation to the victim.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you.