Dunstable stabbing was a botched robbery on man leaving post office

Yesterday's stabbing in Dunstable town centre was a botched robbery against a man innocently going about his business, it has emerged.
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Police

It is understood the victim had left the post office after paying in money when he was attacked by two strangers.

A Beds Police spokesman said: “We are appealing for information following an attempted robbery outside Martin McColl’s Post Office and Newsagent in Ashton Square, Dunstable, at around 12.40pm yesterday (Monday).

“The victim was approached by two men outside the shop who attempted to steal a sum of money. He was stabbed in the leg during the incident and taken to hospital for treatment.

“The offenders were described as wearing grey or dark clothing and are believed to have headed towards Church Street and Priory Gardens.

“We are keen to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident, who may have footage on their mobile phone or dashcam.”

Two men were arrested and have been released with no further action and the victim is understood to have now left hospital.

Social media was rife with comments in the aftermath of the incident.

A Facebook page ‘New Spotted: Dunstable, Luton and Surrounding Areas’ shared a message purporting to be from the victim, who stated: “I am the victim of the stabbing in Dunstable today. I have a laceration to my thigh being treated in hospital. Please thank all who helped me today and the good wishes sent on the page.”

Another Facebook user claimed that the two men had been wrongly arrested, one of them being a good samaritan who called ambulance.

It was stated: “The man who got stabbed thanked all that helped. My son was the one who rang the ambulance and stayed with the man until help arrived, he then went to his friend’s place and a while later was arrested on suspicion of stabbing the victim as cameras followed him.

“I’m happy to say he was later released with no charges. So to put the record straight, the two people who were arrested were in fact the two that called the ambulance, not the ones who stabbed the man.”

Another woman added: “I’ve been trying to convince my daughter that these things are never random and that people often know the attackers or are involved in some way. She was hysterical and wouldn’t walk home from school on her own as she was too scared.”

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Beds Police on 101.