A homeless woman has described the moment she was ‘attacked’ while begging in the Northern Quarter.

Paula, 40, was sitting on the side of Thomas Street at around 5pm yesterday when a man approached her and told her to get a job.

But after she told him to go away, she claims he grabbed her, injuring her arm, before spitting in her face.

She says the man then threatened to ‘slash’ her boyfriend Michael when he tried to intervene.

After a quick thinking passer-by called the police, officers arrested a man within minutes of the alleged assault taking place.

Paula, who did not want to give her full name, said: “It was terrifying. I was just minding my own business and he started at me. He told me to get a job, and called me a baghead, came right up in my face.

“I don’t do drugs, and I told him so. He went off and came back with two mates, then grabbed my arm for no reason. I didn’t even ask him for money.

“I didn’t know what to do – he was a big guy. I tried to get away and he spat in my face. I have bruising and a bad graze on my upper-arm now. I am quite shook up, it was brutal.

“Michael came over and told him to get away from me. I tried telling him not to get involved as there was three of them. Luckily the police arrived very quickly and they went off.”

Moments later officers arrested a man outside Tib Street’s multi-storey car park.

He said: “The police told us he had a knife. They said that he had also assaulted someone else in the Northern Quarter just before attacking Paula.

“I couldn’t believe what he was doing. I tried to help Paula and he told me to ‘come around the corner’ and said if I did he would ‘slash’ me.

“Paula’s very shaken up. We have been homeless for a while and it is dangerous. This guy had no reason to be so aggressive though, we were minding our own business.”

Police confirmed that they had arrested a man on suspicion of assault and a public order offence in connection with the incident. He remains in police custody for questioning.