A MURDER investigation has been launched after a man died following a street attack in Redditch.

The 50-year-old man was attacked in Sillins Avenue, Redditch, at approximately 12.25am this morning.

He had been to the Kings Arms pub with his female partner and they were walking home.

Police believe the man got into an argument with a group of people before he was punched; he fell to the ground, hitting his head.

The injured man was taken by ambulance to the Alexandra Hospital, Redditch. He was later transferred to the Walsgrave Hospital, Coventry because of his head injury.

The man’s life support was switched off this afternoon and detectives are keen to speak to anyone who witnessed the attack or has any information for officers.

Detective Inspector Adam Hartwright who is working on the investigation said: “This was a terrible attack on an innocent man which has led to him losing his life. We believe there may have been between four and six people in the group who carried out the assault. This group may have been a mixture of males and females.

“We would appeal to anyone who can shed any light on the circumstances of the attack to get in touch with us as soon as possible. We have a number of inquiries to follow up and the public’s help is vital in making sure we have a full picture of what went on”.

Superintendent Kevin Purcell, policing commander for north Worcestershire, said: “Redditch is a very safe place to live and incidents of this type are very unusual.  An incident room has been set up at Redditch Police Station.  We are sure that local people will know who is involved in this attack and I would ask people, regardless of how insignificant they believe information is, to pass it on to us as it may be significant to the investigation team.” 

Anyone with information can ring CID at Redditch by dialling 101 or, if they wish to remain anonymous, independent charity Crimestoppers 0800 555111.   

The coroner will be informed of the man’s death and a post mortem examination will take place in the next few days.

The scene was cordoned off until late afternoon today but has now been lifted.

The victim has not yet been named by police.