Night of violence in Weymouth

Police and paramedics were called after a man, aged 55, was found in Dorchester Road in the early hours of Monday with knife injuries to his side and back.

Earlier on Sunday night emergency crews had been called to a separate incident involving a group of men in the Park District which left a man unconscious.

A man, aged 33, from Dorchester, suffered serious facial and back injuries in the late night street brawl in Derby Street at 10.45pm.

Police arrested five Weymouth men, aged 53, 43, 22, 21 and 18, at the scene.

Paramedics took the 33-year-old Dorchester man to hospital after he was found unconscious in the street.

Derby Street resident Peter Rayworth, 49, who rents out properties in the Park District, said: “I saw a young lad laying in the street. It looked like he was unconscious.

“I called the police and two cars turned up and blocked the road.

“But this is not a surprise in this street.

“Often it’s down to people coming home from night clubs and pubs.”

Waterside Weymouth Community Forum chairman, Ken Whatley, insisted violence had decreased in the area recently.

He said: “A lot of the time this sort of thing is down to people walking through the area.

“I’m not happy that people are brawling in the area but it’s unusual.”

He added: “We don’t appreciate and don’t like people brawling in the area and if they’re local I will be very disappointed.

“It’s unfortunate if people are bringing trouble to our area but I do feel things have clamed down recently.”

In the second incident, the 55-year-old man was found by paramedics in Dorchester Road near its junction with Spa Road at 3.10am.

He was found with wounds in his side and back more than two miles from where he was reported to have been involved in a domestic incident five hours earlier at Littlemoor.

He was taken to the Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester.

A Dorset Police spokesman said: “Police received a report of a domestic assault at an address in Buddleia Close in Weymouth at around 10.20pm on Sunday.

“A 55-year-old man from Weymouth has sustained non life-threatening lacerations to his side and back.

“He was located at 3.10am yesterday morning in the street along Dorchester Road, near the Spa Road junction, following a report by paramedics.

“He is being treated at Dorset County Hospital.”

A spokesman for South Western Ambulance added that paramedics were called to Dorchester Road at 3.05am and that a man in his fifties was taken to the Dorset County Hospital at 3.43am.

A woman, aged 55, has been arrested and is helping police with their enquiries Witnesses and anyone who saw anything suspicious in Derby Street or nearby are urged to contact the police on 01305 222222.