West Mercia Police has launched an investigation after Bardosz Milewski, 21, was attacked after he was approached by a group of three men in the early hours of Friday.

The student, who is of Polish background, was with three friends in a park in St Matthews Road, Donnington, Telford, when he was approached by the group at about 1am.

West Mercia Police said a fight broke out, during which the victim was stabbed in the neck with part of a bottle.

He suffered a cut to his neck and was taken to the Princess Royal Hospital for treatment. He has since been discharged.

The offenders are described as three white men, aged in their 20s, one of whom was about 6ft tall, slim, clean shaven and wearing a grey hooded top with grey tracksuit bottoms.

Officers investigating the incident, which is being treated as a racially aggravated hate crime, would like to hear from anyone who witnessed it or has any information which would help with their inquiries.

DS Ian Rutherford, from Telford CID, said: "We are keen to speak to anyone who was in the area late last night, or in the early hours of this morning, who might be able to help us identify the offenders and the motivation for the assault."

Michael Andrejckzuk, a relative of Mr Milewski, said: "Bardosz has just come back from a university trip to the United States.

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"He went to visit his friend and was siting on bench chatting to them in Polish. The people who attacked him were at first sitting a few hundred years away, but when they heard them talking they came up to them and swore and told them to speak English.

"They grabbed Bardosz's drinks bottle, smashed it and stabbed him with it.

"He dialled 999 himself and they ran off when they saw the ambulance coming. His friend went to the police station to report what happened.

"Bardosz was given 13 stitches, but he isn't very well we had to take him back to the hospital. He is studying sports at Portsmouth University and he might have to miss two months of the course because of what has happened to him."

Anyone with information is asked to call West Mercia Police on 101 quoting incident 26S of September 16.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org