Appeal to find Good Samaritan van driver after man is charged with attempted murder

Now police have appealed for a potential witness who stopped to provide first aid to come forward.

Officers were called to a report of an incident involving a knife in the Bent House Lane area of Durham at around 3pm on Friday, April 7.

A man in his 20s was taken to hospital, where he remains in a stable condition.

Taylor Bentham, of Cuthbert Avenue, Durham, was arrested on Saturday and was charged with attempted murder, having a dog dangerously out of control, common assault, and two counts of possession of an offensive weapon.

The 18-year-old appeared before magistrates yesterday, Monday April 10, when the case was committed to Durham Crown Court on May 11 and he was remanded in custody.

Detective Inspector Chris Woollett said: “Several searches and warrants were executed over the weekend to locate and arrest Bentham, and I’d like to thank the public for their cooperation while these were carried out.

“We believe this to be an isolated incident, and are not currently looking for any other suspects.

“However, we are keen to speak to the male driver of a silver or grey van – possibly a VW Transporter – who stopped to provide first aid to the victim.

"If you are the person who stopped to help, or believe you may know who that person was, please contact Durham Police on 101, quoting incident number 233 of April 7.”