Detectives are appealing for witnesses of an assault that has left a 22-year-old man in hospital on a life support machine, devastating his family.

The victim was parked in his black Mazda 2 car in Chatham Place, near to Meeting Field Path, off Morning Lane on Saturday February 7 at 9.22pm.

Whilst there he was approached by two men and he was stabbed in the neck after he got out of his car and got into an altercation with them.

He drove himself to Homerton Hospital but was transferred to another hospital the following day where he remains in a critical condition.

Det Ch Insp Andy Partridge said: “The victim comes from a close family and has a large number of friends who have all been left devastated by this incident.

“Chatham Place is a busy residential area and I am sure that there would have been people out and about who may have seen something that could help us trace these two men.

“I want information from the public that can help us piece together where these two men came from that night, and where they went once they left Chatham Place.”

He is particularly keen to trace a cyclist who passed by two men standing near to some garages in Rivaz Place at around 9.30pm just after the attack.

Det Ch Insp Partridge said: “The cyclist would not have been aware of what had just happened and may hold important information.”

Anyone who can help should call detectives on 0208 358 0300 or Crimestoppers

anonymously on 0800 555 111.