Man arrested over Sunderland pensioner attack will not face court action

A 69-year-old Sunderland man was left with serious injuries following the alleged assault on the banks of Lake Windermere, at Bowness-on-Windermere, in the Lake District, last December.

He remained in hospital over the festive period and police say he is still recovering from his ordeal more than nine months later.

A 59-year-old man from Manchester was arrested two days after the December 16 incident on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent after detectives released images of two people they wanted to quiz.

He was released under investigation while inquiries continued.

Cumbria Police have now confirmed that he will not face any criminal charges and have ended their inquiries.

The force stressed that “that detectives carried out a thorough and detailed investigation involving extensive searches of CCTV as well as witness appeals”.

They added: “The man is still recovering from his injuries.”

Just over two hours away by car, Bowness-on-Windermere is a popular destination for visitors from the North East.

Police initially said the Sunderland man, who has not been named, was punched following an "altercation" with a male dog walker opposite the Glebe Road visitors' centre, close to the lake edge, at around 5.20pm on Sunday, December 16, 2018.

The pensioner was taken to Preston Royal Hospital in a “critical but stable” condition and remained in hospital for at least a month.