Vancouver police are asking for help finding a person of interest after a 59-year-old man was beaten unconscious and robbed in his East Vancouver apartment, by someone investigators believe he arranged to meet for a Craigslist sale.

The victim, who is not being identified by name, suffered "life-altering injuries" as a result of the attack on Nov. 11, 2014, and will require assistance for the rest of his life, said Const. Brian Montague.

"He was a true victim here. He was beaten unconscious."

The victim frequently posted small items for sale on the online classifieds site Craigslist, and investigators think the assailant was answering an ad, said Montague.

It's not clear which ad the suspect was responding to, but investigators think it was a listing for inexpensive costume jewelry, which didn't make clear the items weren't precious.

"That may have been a reason the individual came knocking at the door," said Montague.

Victim unconscious after beating

The beating and robbery took place at about 5:30 p.m. in the victim's apartment in East Vancouver, but police weren't called for another two hours.

That's how long it took the victim to regain consciousness, walk to his neighbour's door and knock asking for help.

The man suffered head and facial trauma. Both eyes swelled shut, and he required several stitches on his face, said police.

Police are taking the unusual step of releasing a photo of the victim's injuries, with his permission, to put in context how badly beaten the man was, said Montague.

The victim has been in and out of hospital over the past six months and will never fully recover, he said.

Police encourage people making deals on Craigslist to do so in public, if possible, and can even meet in front of the Vancouver police station to deter scammers.

Description of person of interest

Investigators have been unable to identify a man police are calling a "person of interest" who they believe is responsible.

He is described as:

A white male.

25-30 years old.

Five feet nine inches tall.

Medium build.

Wearing a black hat with a DC logo, dark jacket, and sweat pants.

Police released these surveillance images of a 'person of interest,' in the hope someone will recognize the suspect's distinctive clothes. (Vancouver Police Department)

"If you know somebody that wears clothing like this, or has worn it, especially back in November, we'd like to know about it," said Montague.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Vancouver police robbery unit at 604-717-2541 or Crime Stoppers.