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CCTV footage has been released of a man police want to speak to after a teenage poppy seller was attacked with a DIY blowtorch.

Army cadet Callum Watkins, 15, who was in camouflage uniform, was left with burns on his face after the man set light to an aerosol can.

Callum was attacked as he waited at a bus stop next to Manchester Art Gallery last Saturday.

Detective Inspector Liam Boden said: “It is now nearly a week since this attack and we are continuing to pursue a number of lines of inquiry to trace whoever was responsible for this appalling assault.

“It is impossible to get inside the mind of the offender but I do want to reassure people who may be alarmed that we believe he may have been under the influence of either drugs or alcohol and no comments were made that suggested it was religiously or racially motivated.”

Inspector Boden added: “We have now released CCTV footage of a man we really want to talk to as part of our inquiries.

“This man was seen in the vicinity of the attack shortly before it happened and we believe he may have crucial information.”

Callum has said he would still be marching in the Remembrance Sunday Parade: “It won’t put me off. I love doing stuff for charity - it makes me feel good.”

The attacker, who walked off without saying a word, is described as being black or Asian, 5ft 8in and wearing a dark hooded top.

A spokesman for the Royal British Legion said: “It is shocking that a young man who has dedicated his spare time as a cadet to supporting the Poppy Appeal could be targeted in this horrifying manner.”