The city has been left sad and shocked after a young man died following an assault at the weekend.

The man, Freddie Jones-Fontete, died in hospital yesterday (Wednesday February 23).

As a friend of the victim, the mayor of Salisbury said the news was “gut-wrenching”, as “it could have been one of my boys”.

Cllr Caroline Corbin, whose son was friends with the victim, said: “If our young men can’t go out in the city and return safe, that’s awful. We have a group for women’s safety, but what about our young men?”

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The serious assault took place in New Canal at around 3am on Sunday.

Police initially said the victim was involved in an altercation involving a group of 15 men but since then, they have made three arrests.

Only 24-year-old Connor Pool, of Salt Lane, Winterbourne Gunner, has been charged with Section 18 grievous bodily harm.

He appeared at Swindon Magistrates Court yesterday.

Speaking about the victim, Cllr Corbin said: “He’s a friend of my son’s. I used to take him to football with my son.”

She added: “It’s awful when you’re trying to promote a safe city for everybody, then something like this occurs and it is life changing for everybody involved.

“It is gut-wrenching because it could have been my boys. Historically, people have worried about women.

“I hope people are inspired by this to behave and be responsible.”

Wiltshire Police say extra patrols are being conducted this week and into the weekend to provide reassurance to the community.

They say they are not looking for any other suspects in connection with the incident, but they are still appealing for witnesses and video footage.

The Senior Investigating Officer in the case, Detective Inspector Simon Childe, said: “We are still seeking any witnesses who were in the area of New Canal at around 3am on Sunday morning and have seen anything relating to this incident, including anyone who may have video footage that could prove vital to this case.

“We would also still like to hear from any taxi drivers who may have been in the vicinity at this time and have any information, or anyone with dash cam footage from this area. Your information, no matter how small, could be incredibly important in our wider investigation.”

If you have any information, particularly video footage, call 101 and quote crime reference number 54220018147.

You can also anonymously report information on a crime by calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visiting their website at crimestoppers-uk.org

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