HORRIFIED Trowbridge residents expressed their outrage over vile thugs forcing a terrified man into a river and filming the ordeal while he pleaded for mercy.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident, where footage shows the culprits shoving the bloodied and bruised victim to the ground and taunting him, which took place around Wicker Hill and Church Street.

Barrie Dearlove, of homeless drop-in centre Breakthrough Trowbridge, said: “It is appalling. I don’t care what standard of life someone has, nobody has the right to treat someone worse than cattle. It is sad sign of the times.

“This is a criminal offence. It it typical of today’s bullies. This comes from a lack of discipline.”

Police say the incident took place between 7-8pm on June 12.

Councillor Edward Kirk joined in with many locals with messages of support to the victim.

“I hope he is okay because this is totally unacceptable. There is something wrong with our society. I am not sure how you can stop it, other than having a lot more police out on the streets,” he said.

The video from online campaigner Robin Armstrong, who shared it on his Facebook page, has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.

Inspector Andy Fee said: “This callous and cowardly assault on a clearly vulnerable adult has understandably caused outrage and anger amongst the people of Trowbridge and those who have viewed the video further afield.

“I want to reassure everyone that this is an incident we have been taking seriously and we have been carrying out wide-ranging enquiries to fully investigate the circumstances of the assault.

“We have viewed the video, however, further evidence needs to be gathered. I understand why people will feel frustrated, but we need to follow the proper procedures to fully investigate the crime.”

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